Picture Perfect
by JoanIncarnate
Summary: What if Bleach was created by a mangaka in search of his one true love, his soulmate?
1. Day 1, part 1

**WARNINGS:**

Yaoi

OOC

AU

Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, only this plotline is.

* * *

><p><strong>DAY ONE:<strong>

_9:54 AM- Mangacon parking lot_

"Grimmjow! Come on! We're gonna be late!" The green haired woman tugged on her grumbling bluenette brother as he took his time removing their luggage from his blue 1991 Chevrolet Scottsdale C/K 2500.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, Nel. Jeez, calm your titties."

The curvy woman frowned and her little brother dodged just in time to avoid what would have been a powerful punch. "I can't help it though! My wittle otouto is all gwown up," gushed Nel as she reached over and pinched the teal-haired man's cheeks.

Swatting away the offending hands, Grimmjow frowned to cover up what would have been a proud smile and faint blush. Looking away, he mumbled in protest. "I'm not little anymore, I'm 21."

His older sister smiled and hugged his crossed arms. "You may be 21 but I'm still two years older so you're AAALLLLWWWAAAYYYSSS gonna be my little otouto," she said laughingly, placing a kiss on the bluenette's slightly pink cheeks. "Besides, I am so proud of you, Grimmy! It feels like yesterday when you told me you sent in a manuscript to Shounen Jump and now you have an entire manga convention dedicated to your mang-"

Blue eyes widened as he caught Nel's words and Grimmjow quickly covered his sister's mouth before she could say anymore. "SHUT UP," he whispered fervently. "No one except my editor is supposed to know who Peroxide's mangaka is, remember? We're undercover!"

Her doe-like gray eyes met his blue ones and she quickly nodded in understanding. After he removed his hand, Nel beamed at her beloved brother. "Got it, Grimmy. 100% supportive!"

The exuberant woman's serious brother sighed. "I know, Nel nee-chan," he said exasperatedly, calling her the name he saved for when they were alone. "Even if I didn't hear that the first ninety seven billion times you said it, I can tell by your freaking outfit."

Nel giggled and spun around to show off her white Espada uniform. "Of course! Do you like it? I mean, you based this character off of me, right? Who could pull off Nerutu's cosplay better than the original?"

Depthless aquamarine eyes rolled. Sure, he had based most of the characters of his manga off of people he knew, but Grimmjow didn't see any of his other friends going to the convention dressed as their characters. He loved his onee-chan, but sometimes, her energy and craziness was just too much for one teal-haired mangaka.

A long, lanky hand wrapped around the green haired woman's waist. "Don'tcha worry a hair on tha pretty lil blue head of yers. Just leave Nel ta me." Nnoitra grinned at his best friend and his girlfriend, bending down to kiss her chastely on the cheek.

The bluenette smirked the tall man. He remembered how weird it was when his best friend and sister first started dating. Now, he was just grateful that the two found someone crazy enough for each other. "I'm just surprised she didn't force you into wearing Cuchara's cosplay."

Mischief flashed through Nnoitra's violet eyes and Grimmjow reflexively recoiled. He knew that look. He did not like that look.

"Oh, so ya didn't know?" The tall man and the gray eyed woman grinned maniacally at each other."We got costumes for _everyone_."

Grimmjow gulped. "E-everyone?"

Then again, ever since the two had gotten together, the amount of insanity had been doubled now that they had each other as a partner-in-crime.

* * *

><p><em>10:49 AM- Hotel, room 613<em>

The teal-haired mangaka scowled at the wolf-whistles his friends made as he stepped out of his hotel bathroom, clad in full cosplay regalia in display to his friends. They all rushed over to his room cackling when they heard that Nel got Grimmjow to cosplay as his character. Grimmjow mentally cursed himself for designing such a revealing uniform for the Sexta Espada as he wrapped his short jacket closer around his abs.

Nel squealed like the fangirl she was for her little brother's work. "Oh, you look perfect!"

The blue-eyed man raised an equally blue eyebrow at the comment. "Uh, I should. Grimshaw Jaguarjacks was based off of me."

"You know," Szayel spoke up, pushing his fake purple rimmed glasses (for cosplay purposes) up. " I never did understand why you didn't base the protagonist, rather than some side-character enemy, off of yourself."

Grimmjow shrugged and looked away. "Cause I'm not an egotistic bastard is why."

Riotious laughter followed that statement. "Right," Gin said in between laughs. "I think ya mean, you're not THAT much of an egotistic bastard."

"No, no, Grimm's right. Yer not an egotistic bastard. Yer just an arrogant little asswipe," Nnoitra snorted sarcastically.

Grimmjow glared at his friends. "I'd rather be a little asswipe with reason to be arrogant than an overgrown spoon pirate."

The gaggle of friends laughed even harder at that, and Gin yelled "Burnnnnnn."

Nnoitra smirked, his mirth not lessened at all by the eyepatch he now wore over his violet eyes. "You guys wanna know the real reason why our little smurf here was for once in his life, humble?" Said bluenette stopped laughing, sensing the change in his lanky friend's tone. "'Cause Grimmy's a romantic," Nnoitra said slyly.

Before the bluenette could shut his lanky best friend up from spilling it to the rest of his friends, Nnoitra blurted out, "He based the main character off 'a what his dream guy is!"

Grimmjow threw his broken Hollow mask at his friends, who were on the floor, rolling from laughter anyway. It was somewhat disturbing and somewhat infuriating to see Ulqiuorra and Halibel break out into laughter also. Starrk even woke up to join in on the fun. Sapphire blue eyes rolled. He was glad that all those close to him had accepted his sexual orientation years ago but fuck if that stopped them from teasing him.

"Se-seriously, Grimmjow?" Szayel said between gasps and laughs. He pushed his natural cotton candy colored hair back with one hand and tried to cover his laughter with the other. "I never took you as such a romantic."

The bluenette scowled with his arms crossed defensively over a chiseled chest, careful not to smear the paint that was his Hollow hole. He turned away, not wanting them to see him embarrassed even though they already knew he was.

"Shaddup! I know! What are the odds that there's a brown-eyed ginger out there who's undyingly loyal, strong, persistent, kind-hearted,_ and_ smart?"

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><p><em>9:37 AM- Kurosaki residence<em>

"Ichigo! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" The tiny raven-haired girl kicked her childhood friend in the butt to get him going.

The orange-head grumbled, rubbing his sore butt. "Yeah, yeah. Sheesh, I'm goin' already, Rukia. Calm your non-existent tits," he said while blocking another kick. Thank lord for all those years of martial arts and sports he took because if not for that, he'd have been killed ages ago by Rukia's violence. "Why are you in such a hurry to get to the manga-con anyway? The convention's taking place for three whole days, that's plenty of time!" He no longer questioned why he had to go with her too because after so many years, he knew she would be getting her way.

The short girl's eyes sparkled. "You don't understand, Ichi. There are rumors that the mangaka of Peroxide, Kite Tubo-sensei, will be making a secret appearance for this convention!"

"Huhn." Ichigo rolled his amber eyes at his otaku friend. "That's great. But why the hell do we have to go in cosplay?"

Rukia rolled her now lavender eyes (contacts) at her sadly-unethusiastic friend. "_Because._ You were BORN for this! You look exactly like the protagonist of Peroxide, Hogo Haisaki!" She continued rambling on about how perfect he was for the part. "I mean, seriously. I'm going as Awaremi of the Fuhaiki house but I'm too short for..."

Sighing, Ichigo tuned out. They had been friends since he knew how to walk and she knew how to kick yet there were just some things they would never understand about each other, so they just accepted the whole package.

"Besides, Ishida, Inoue, and I spent forever making all the costumes for everyone so you're going in cosplay whether we have to strip you down ourselves or not. Now come on. Renji and the others are there already!"

The orange-head sighed, already used to the whims of his crazy friends. They were insane and random, but he loved them even if they did tire him out.

"Hai, hai."

* * *

><p><em>12:42 PM- Mangacon, doujinshi section<em>

Grimmjow wandered through the crowds of otakus aimlessly, ignoring admirers, fangirls/fanboys, and freaks alike. He left after twenty minutes of his friends' ridicule, preferring to be alone than to let himself be made fun of. However, after politely refusing a photo for the bazillionth time ("No, ya damn bitch! How many fucking times do I have to say it before you dipshits get it into your thick skulls? I ain't taking any damn pictures!"), he was beginning to regret leaving on his own

_'Damn that fucking Nnoitra. Why the hell did he have to tell everyone?'_ The mangaka pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Well, he couldn't exactly blame his best friend for sharing the reason. He wasn't exactly secretive. All his friends knew he was gay anyway so it wasn't as though it really mattered. But the thought of them thinking he was a hopeless romantic just made his blood boil.

_'The assholes should know damn well why I'm writing a shounen manga and not some crap, fluffy yaoi stuff. 'CAUSE REAL MEN DON'T SPARKLE AND SHIT WITH FLOWERS BLOOMING BEHIND THEM!' _He shuddered at the thought of having to draw nonsensical romance for the rest of his days and suppressing his violent nature. Grimmjow could not remember how many times people have told him he should draw yaoi manga when they found out he was gay, and a mangaka. He could see why they would say that but it didn't stop him from being annoyed. He loved putting all his fighting experience from karate and kendo down in ink, drawing his friends as manga characters, and using his overactive imagination to make something amazing. The teal-haired man reminisced about "the good old days" when the only drawing he did was doodling in his notes during class. If not for Gin, who he had become friends with back in freshman year of college, secretly handing in his art to Shounen Jump, he would've never had this oppurtunity.

The bluenette turned a corner and through his peripheral vision, could see a stand of fanfiction yaoi doujinshis for Peroxide. Before his mental debate was over, the first few chords of "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson stopped him from heading towards that stand.

He picked up his phone and growled into it. "What the hell do ya want now, Nnoi? This better not b-"

"It's him!" Grimmjow could hear his best friend panting into the phone. "It's tha guy!"

Blue eyebrows furrowed. "What? What guy?"

"YER guy! Yer perfect man! -_Wheeze_- Hogo!"

The bluenette could literally feel his heart stop, then start up all over again beating with the speed of a hummingbird. Could it be? Did Nnoitra really find someone exactly like his soulmate? Or was he still messing with him? No, Nnoitra knew better than to joke about this. Granted, the lanky man would've only been able to verify the appearance but that was pretty good already.

"Where?"

Nnoitra wheezed through the phone. "He's heading for the, -_gasp_- main entrance. GO. -_Wheeze_- NOW!"

* * *

><p><em>1:17 PM- Mangacon, main entrance<em>

"Holy shit! That is IT! This is the last time I go anywhere with you!" Ichigo yelled as he stopped running. After successfully losing the stalker, he once again found himself grateful for taking karate. And track too.

Rukia and Renji finally caught up to their friend and they tried to breathe again.

"It, -_pant_-, wasn't that bad, Ichi. -_Wheeze_."'

Narrowed sepia eyes glared at his two friends through orange bangs. "It wasn't that _bad?_ _NOT THAT BAD?_" He yelled with each word louder than the last. "I just got chased down by some manga-crazed pirate! I THINK, THAT _THAT,_ IS PRETTY. FUCKING. BAD."

The raven-haired girl began to correct him, "Actually, he wasn't dressed as a pirate. He's supposed to be Cuchara, the fifth Esp-" but fortunately, her boyfriend was clever enough to cover her mouth before she fueled Ichigo's fire.

"Dammit, I _knew_ shouldn't have come to your crazy otaku festival! There are crazies like you everywhere!"

Renji chuckled nervously while struggling to mute his girlfriend and calm his best friend. "Think about it this way, Ichi. You look so good right now that you've got guys running after you! I mean, it makes finding a boyfriend easier, am I right?" He did have a point there. Ever since the orange-head broke up with Kaien nine months ago, he had not been in a relationship. "Besides, you already beat the guy down. Doubt he can even walk for the next few days after what you did to him."

Ichigo gave the two one final glare before walking out the main entrance. "You asses owe me lunch."

* * *

><p><em>1:19 PM- Mangacon, main entrance<em>

Finally nearing the main entrance, the bluenette slowed down. Grimmjow's head turned quickly from side to side, his blue eyes searching for any one who looked like what he was looking for. He made it just in time to see a strawberry blonde in a black kimono walk out with a red-head and short girl.

Before he could catch up to the person, a squealing mob of fangirls gathered around him.

"Oh my goshhh! You're Grimshaw Jaguarjacks, right? From Peroxide? You look juuuuuust like him!"

"Can I have, like, a picture with you? I need to tell all my friends about this, they are like SOOO not going to believe this!"

"EEEEEKKK! You totally put the 'sex' in Sexta!"

Grimmjow growled and tried to push his way through the excited otakus but by the time he freed himself, the mystery man was already gone.

"Well? Didja see him or not?" Nnoitra said as he finally arrived at the main entrance. When he received no response, he turned to his friend. Both shock and disappointment danced in the bluenette's sapphire eyes.

"I saw him."

"Phew. Thank kami. You won't freaking believe how fast tha kid is! And aggressive... he fucking kicked me in tha gut and kneed me in the balls when I tried to drag him over to ya! I had to chase him for twenty minutes and I still couldn't get 'im. God dammit, my balls are still tender," the tall man grumbled as he not-so-discreetly tried to soothe his damaged goods. "But hey. At least I don't have ta listen ta ya whine anymore about how there are no guys out there fer ya so I-"

"I just saw him. That's it. I didn't talk to him or anything."

Nnoitra exploded. "WHAT THE FUCK? YA MEAN TA TELL MEH THA' ALL THA' RUNNIN WAS FER NUTHIN? MAH BALLS'RE STILL SORE, YA DAYUM BASTARD!" His Kansai accent was getting stronger, a sign that he was fucking MAD. Besides, when the raven-haired man got this angry, 90% of his words were just curses spouting from his potty mouth anyway.

Grimmjow tuned out his angry ramblings, one, because he just did not care, two, because he couldn't really understand him anymore with his old accent so strong.

Blue eyes still fixed at the door of the main entrance, a slow smile unconciously graced Grimmjow's handsome face. He knew he'd be going insane once the shock wore off and would only be able to think about finding the mystery guy in the next two and a half days but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered right now.

His orange-head existed.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

To: Tite Kubo, sorry for turning your life into a yaoi fanfic. I know it probably wasn't created like this, but I can wish.

Seriously though. How freaking awesome would it be if Bleach was created like this? I wasn't too sure about NnoitraXNel but it was down before I could change it and by then, I liked it too much to change. So I wasn't feeling too creative with the names. Most of them should be fairly obvious but try to guess the meaning/reasoning behind all of them! A prize for whoever gets all of them right first (so far that's Nerutu, Cuchara, Grimshaw Jaguarjacks, Hogo Haisaki, Kite Tubo, Awaremi Fuhaiki)

I apologize if the setting doesn't sound right as a mangacon. I've never been to one so I'm basically basing this off what my friends say and off the Dramacon manga. If you want to help me out or correct me, feel free to PM me or review.

I'm thinking this is gonna be a one-shot. Might add a few more chapters in. Anyone think I should continue?

**2ND POSTING: **Okay, after a deal of encouragement, I decided to continue. Thanks a lot for the reviews guys, some of which made me lol. Since this is now going to be a multi-chapter fic, I've editted this chapter a little. The changes aren't major and don't affect the story line so you don't have to re-read if you don't want to.


	2. Day 1, part 2

**DAY ONE: (cont.d)**

_1:37 PM- Anko's Diner, near the Mangacon_

The gang had gathered with inhuman speed after they received a text from Nel, who heard from Nnoitra. Within ten minutes, they were all at the diner, listening to the full story as they ate their lunch. Ah, technology.

"I just do not believe you really found him," said Ulquiorra calmly as he chewed on a french fry.

"Well, believe it! I saw him with my own eye!"

"Yup. And I saw him with my two eyes."

Their pink-haired friend sighed and put down his strawberry milkshake. "Guys, let's be logical here," Szayel reasoned. "All Grimmjow and Nnoitra saw was how this guy looked. What if you meet him, and he's a complete dick?"

"Yeah, or what if he's straight?" Starrk pointed out.

Gin nodded, "Pinky's got a point." Szayel glared at him while the smiley man ignored him.

"That's not a problem," Harribel said matter-of-factly, setting down a napkin. "I believe in Grimmjow's ability to turn him gay."

"Gee, thanks... But guys, wait. I-"

Starrk frowned. "That doesn't get rid of the question of his personality."

Ulquiorra said quietly, "This is true. Besides, there are thousands of people at the convention and you only have three, no, two and a half days now to find him."

Szayel hmm-ed in agreement. "We also haven't thought about the fact that since this _is_ a manga convention, there could be loads of Hogo cosplayers here. How do we know which one is your guy?"

Harribel commented, "Or if any of them is your guy?"

"Oh." Nnoitra and Grimmjow paled, not realizing this earlier. The gangly man began hyperventilating. "Oh my god, what if that guy from earlier isn't the right one? After all, there's gotta to be tons of people cosplaying as Hogo. What if we meet him again and he sucks? What if they all suck?"

"Mah, this is certainly startin' to sound complicated," Gin mused. "Do ya even think it's gonna be worth tha search?"

"Nooooo!" Nnoitra shook Grimmjow. "You must never give up, young one! We can make it! You just have to believvveeeeee!"

"Get off me."

Meanwhile, a green-haired girl was sitting there silently as she thought about how to get her little brother his soulmate. As an idea formed in her diabolical mind, bright gray eyes glinted with mischievous excitement. Nel stood and faced her friends solemnly. "Ahem ahem, my good people. I have an announcement to make."

The good people were silenced and waited for their insane green-haired friend to speak.

"I propose... a HUNT!"Nel grinned.

The friends looked at her.

"A... hunt?"

Nel giggled maniacally. "We hunt down this orange-head, and then when we find him-"

"We give him a little test to see whether he's suitable for Grimmy or not!" Nnoitra finished with a grin.

Szayel thought about it. "Sounds logical."

Ulquiorra thought about it. "Sounds crazy."

"Hey, I'm not-"

They all grinned. "Let's do it!"

"Do I even get a say in this?"

"Nope," they all mutually chorused.

"Operation Find-Grimmjow's-hot-orange-head-that-can-possibly-be-his-soulmate-so-that-they-can-ride-off-in-the-sunset-and-make-beautiful-babies, GOOOOOO!"

Said teal-haired mangaka buried his face in his arms as his crazy friends cheered and applauded.

Harribel looked at her enthusiastic best friend. "Nel, isn't that name a little... long?"

She shrugged and they all ignored it when a muffled groan emerged from the depths of his arms.

The muffled voice protested, "Men can't even make babies!"

* * *

><p><em>1:49 PM- Anko's Diner, near the Mangacon<em>

Orihime noticed her boyfriend glaring at a table at the other side of the room through his glasses. "Uryuu-kun, what's wrong?"

The irritable man smiled at his girlfriend and squeezed her hand before returning to his favorite hobby: glaring. "It's nothing, Inoue. It's just that those people at that table over there are really loud."

As if right on cue, someone from that table cried dramatically, "You just have to believvveeeeee!"

An angry vein bulged on the Quincy-cosplayer. His friends just rolled their eyes at how easily irritated the geeky boy was.

Renji snorted, "Yes, Ishida. Go and glare at them some more. I'm sure they will feel the pain of your vicious glaring and that'll shut them up."

Rukia giggled and slapped her boyfriend, "Stop it, Ren."

Tatsuki laughed loudly while her more reserved boyfriend, Chad, merely smiled.

Ichigo rolled his amber colored eyes as he sipped his chocolate milkshake. He was surrounded by lovey-dovey couples and despite being their friends, there is only so much of other people's stupidity in romance you can take when you yourself are single. Inwardly, he sighed, wondering when he would find someone again.

Somewhere across the room, a woman shouted. "Operation Find-Grimmjow's-hot-orange-head-that-can-possibly-be-his-soulmate-so-that-they-can-ride-off-in-the-sunset-and-make-beautiful-babies, GOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p><em>2:45 PM- Mangacon, outside main entrance<em>

"Alright, soldiers!" Nel looked sternly at her friends. "Are the guidelines of the mission clear?"

Gin saluted her. "Yes, ma'am. Mission: ta search for a Hogo cosplayer tha can possibly become Grimmjow's honeybun."

Grimmjow snarled at the unnecesarry "honeybun."

"If he is not _too_ ugly, we send Grimm a picture," drawled Starrk lazily.

Ulquiorra continued disinterestedly, "And if Grimmjow approves, run a test by him."

"And if he passes, we get his number," finished Harribel.

The teal-haired man facepalmed. "Guys, I'm really grateful and all but I don't nee-"

"Alright, soldiers! You're ready! Do not forget that this mission will be a dangerous one, BUT! Also, the most important one in your life! Or at least Grimmy's life... anyhow! Go, go, go!"

Gin, Szayel, Nnoitra, and Nel saluted and ran into the convention with great enthusiasm. Starrk, Harribel, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow just sighed and followed after, all thinking the same thing.

_'It is going to be a long three days.'_

* * *

><p><em>5:25 PM- Mangacon<em>

-_And I don't want you, and I don't need you. Don't bother to res-_

Sighing, the exasperated man ran his fingers through his electric blue hair and pulled out his phone, looking wearily at the screen. "Text received from PINKY." The text included a picture of a gangly man swallowed up by black robes and an orange wig, and a message:

-**This piece of ass hot enuff 4 u?**-

Fingers danced nimbly over the buttons of Grimmjow's white Blackberry Torch.

**-R those fake glasses fucking up yur sight?-**

The mangaka was about to slide his phone back into his pocket when Marilyn Manson's raspy voice rung out again. _-And I don't wa- _"Text received from KITSUNE."

-**Well? He's not hideous!-**

_'Hmm, now this guy isn't too bad...'_ Deep blue eyes scanned the picture. _'High cheekbones, smooth skin, hair was a leaning towards the blonde side but I can deal...that shihakusho looks a little... wait, what is that...'_

**-U fucktard, tht's a woman.-**

Gin read Grimmjow's response. _'WHAT? Yer kiddin' me!'_ He quickly replied, **-Ehhhhh? No way!-**

With veins popping from anger, the bluenette texted back: **-Don't u 'ehhhh' me! _SHE_ has boobs!-**

**-...Well, would you look at that.-**

Grimmjow sighed. This stupid little hunt/game/thing had been completely futile so far and he was getting a migraine from all the texts he was receiving. Granted, some of the guys (when they WERE guys) in the pictures were rather attractive but the personality test was quickly eliminating them. And after that, the majority of the ones who passed got scared away by Grimmjow's ever so helpful friends. So far, out of all the pictures he had received, he got two of their numbers. Well, three but the other one didn't even come with a picture so it did not count. _'Who knows what kind of _thing_ that number belongs to?'_

As the bluenette slid his phone back into the pocket in his white hakama, he heard some far away voice holler, "Heads up!" Grimmjow looked up and saw a glint of silver. And then something ridiculously heavy and sharp hit him on the head. The impact knocked the man over and he landed on his perfectly firm behind.

"What the fuck? Ugh... holy fuck! My head!" Clutching his head, Grimmjow blinked confusedly. He noticed a life-sized replica of Hogo's zanpaktou, Zangetsu, lying a few feet away from him. _'Damn. A flying Zangetsu knocked me over? No wonder it was so damn heavy.' _The bluenette picked it up, frowning. His head was hurting like a bitch but he still had to admire the likeness the sword held to his drawings.

A shadow was cast over the fallen teal-haired man. "I am SO sorry about this."

Grimmjow looked up into a pair of chocolate brown eyes. His own electric blue eyes widened as he took in the face of his attacker.

* * *

><p><em>5:25 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Abarai Renji, I'm going to skewer your bony ass!"

"Hey!" Renji turned around, insulted. "It is not bony!" The tattoo-ed man cried as he ran.

Frustratedly, Ichigo threw his giant cosplay sword at his friend. Renji paled when he noticed the flying weapon but started cackling as he noticed it would miss him, just barely. He yelled, "Heads up!" And he escaped into a crowd, laughing all the way.

Ichigo winced when he saw his sword knock over a tall cosplayer.

"What the fuck? Ugh... holy fuck! My head!"

_'Damn you, Renji. When I get my hands on you...' _The strawbery blonde fumed, thinking of all the wonderful things he would do to his best-friend. But before that, he had to make sure he didn't accidentally kill the wrong the person. Running over to the fallen man, the orange-head said, "I am SO sorry about this," hoping the man was fine and would not press charges for assault by giant flying sword.

Then the man looked up and Ichigo felt his breath hitch. _'Holy hell.'_

He noticed his bright hair before but now that Ichigo was closer, he could see that it was naturally blue, swept up in disheveled strokes away from his face. Intense electric blue eyes were highlighted by the teal markings underneath them. A long, straight nose centered his face and plump lips rested above a strong pointed chin that was half covered by a white jawbone mask. Perfectly formed muscles showed through the man's white uniform. Rippling washboard abs disappeared under a white hakama which showcased long legs. All in all, the man was fucking HOT.

Ichigo blushed when he caught himself staring and coughed. He extended his hand to the teal-haired Adonis and felt the warmth and strong grip of the man's large hands. When the man stood up, the orange-head found himself a little surpised with how tall the man was. Ichigo had to tilt his head up to look into those gorgeous blue eyes.

"Um, are you okay?"

The man had no response. Ichigo found it a little weird and highly concerning how dazed and shocked the bluenette looked. _'Oh shit, please tell me I didn't break his brain.' _He waved a hand over the taller one's face. "Hey. Are you alright?"

The taller man snapped out of whatever thought process he was in and coughed embarasssedly. The bluenette chuckled nervously with a deep, rumbling voice. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I'm fine." He handed back Ichigo's oversized weapon to him.

Ichigo accepted it with a faint smile, thinking it was kind of cute how the man's cheeks were turning just the palest shade of pink. "Oh. Uh... alright, then. I'm sorry about attacking you like that."

The orange-head gulped when a slow, sexy smirk danced on the teal-haired man's face. "Yeah, it isn't everyday that you get knocked over by a flying Zanpaktou."

Looking away, Ichigo rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Yeah, I didn't mean to attack _you_. I was aiming at-" And then he stopped, remembering the stupid red-head. "RENJI! Look, sorry about this but I have to go kill someone," he said. The strawberry turned to beat Renji within an inch of his life, when he felt a hand pulling on his wrist. Ichigo looked up, surprised at the disappointment in the Adonis's depthless eyes.

The bluenette let go as if startled by his own actions. "Um, I," the man looked away. "I'm Grimmjow."

_'Grimmjow...'_ Ichigo grinned, liking the way the name sounded.

"Ichigo," the orange-head said with a smile before running off.

Dazed, Grimmjow watched the strawberry leave. "Ichigo..."

* * *

><p><em>6:42 PM- Genma-Raidou Japanese Cuisine<em>

Grinning merrily, Grimmjow inhaled his miso ramen. He was either oblivious or conveniently ignoring all the deadpan looks he was getting from his friends. He was the only one eating, everyone else was frozen by the sheer stupidity.

Ulquiorra looked blankly at his friend. "So... let me just elucidate. You met a guy."

"A cute strawberry blonde, Hogo cosplayer," Starrk included with disbelief.

"And you got his name," Nel stared at her brother who oh-so-conveniently ignored the angry vein popping by her forehead.

Setting down his chopsticks, Nnoitra continued, "But you _didn't_ get his number."

"Yup. His name's Ichigo," said the infatuated Grimmjow. He could care less what they thought now of his bagging skills. He was floating on cloud nine.

Nel slapped her brother, snapping him out of his reverie. "Grimmy! Why didn't you get his number?"

"Yeah," pouted Gin. "What happened ta yer irresistable flirting skills?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "I didn't get to use them. He said he had to go kill someone."

Szayel snickered. "Feisty."

Wiggling his blue eyebrows, Grimmjow smirked. "No kidding."

Harribel peeked her mouth out from her large collar. "So, if you found this strawberry-boy already, do we still have to continue the hunt?"

Starrk sighed and reclined in his wooden chair. "Considering that our resident genius here doesn't know anything about Mr. Strawberry other than his name, I'd say we do."

Ulquiorra slammed his head against their table. "Kill me. Kill me now." Harribel and Starrk patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Nnoitra grinned. "That's the emo-car spirit!"

"Aw, c'mon. If you die, I bet Shiro-kun is goin' ta be real sadddd," said Gin in a sing-song tone.

The green-eyed man lifted his head up to try and burn holes through the smiley man. "Silence."

Nel grinned, and poked Ulquiorra's cheek, slightly smearing the painted green tears. "Don't be such a meanie, Ulqui. I think you guys are cute together!"

Scowling, Ulquiorra dropped his head again with a loud slam, to conceal his pinkish cheeks.

"Awwwwww, he's blushing!"

"How cute."

"Shut. Up."

Grimmjow smiled over his half-empty bowl of ramen. Unconciously grinning like a doofus, Grimmjow thought, _'Ichigo's cute when he blushes...'_

* * *

><p><em>7:52 PM- A few blocks away from Mangacon<em>

"My ass hurts," whined Renji. "My arms hurt too," he said, juggling the hefty bags of manga and doujinshis he was carrying.

Wordlessly, Chad took a couple of the bags off his hands. The males were walking to the nearby Japanese food place to get seats while the girls were still at the convention, fangirling over the yaoi section.

Ichigo scowled, "Chad, don't help him! He's getting what he deserves." Chad merely smiled at his friends.

The tattoed-red head shrieked, "WHAT? Whaddaya mean 'what he deserves'? I don't deserve this!"

Ishida smirked. "Well, it's _your_ girlfriend's stuff. Come on, Renji. Be a man." It was clear to the blind that the tiny raven-haired girl wore the pants in their relationship. Renji was totally whipped.

Glaring at Ishida, he replied. "I am a man! What I'm talking about is getting my ass kicked, and I don't mean by Rukia. I have, like, butt contusions now! I sure as hell don't deserve that," Renji said huffily with angry eyes fixed on his orange-head friend.

"Oh, really now?" Ichigo said icily. "Don't you?"

Chad said softly, "What did he do to you?" After a moment, he decided to include, "This time."

"This time..." the volatile orange-head started, "... the idiot decided to give out my number to some random guy."

"He was checking you out!"

"I DON'T GO FOR GUYS WITH PINK HAIR!" Ichigo shuddered. "He had 'creepy' written all over him."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "He did?"

The strawberry blonde nodded. "Yeah, kinda like that one professor we had back in high school."

"Mayuri?"

"That's the one."

Chad looked at Renji. "Yeah, I guess he does deserve it."

The tattooed man gasped dramatically and put his hand to his chest. "Well then! I guess next time, I'll just let creepy guys take their creeper photos of you!"

"He- wait, what?" Ichigo stared wide-eyed at his friend. "Are- are you serious? He was taking PICTURES of me?"

Renji scoffed. "He was about to but I managed to convince him to just take your number and delete the pictures."

"... Why was he taking pictures of Ichigo?" Ishida asked, slightly disturbed.

"Pft, hell if I know what he wants."

Chad looked at Ichigo. "Looks like he didn't deserve it." He paused, then added, "This time."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly, "Uh... sorry?"

"Tell that to my bruised ass, dickwad."

* * *

><p><em>11:19 PM- Hotel, sixth floor<em>

Yawning, Ichigo headed down the hallway to his hotel room. _'How long does it really take for girls to stop reading yaoi? They REALLY had to go back even AFTER dinner?' _As he turned the corner reaching room 615, his eyes bulged. "Oh my god."

Nnoitra looked up at that. His eye that wasn't covered by a patch bulged. "Oh my god."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ichigo screamed and hurriedly opened the door to his room. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it. _'Ohmygod, ohmygod, what the hell is he doing here? Did he follow me all the way here? Oh my god, Jesus, Kami, Buddha, I have a giant pirate stalker after me!'_

"OI! YOU! Open up yer door! Hey!" Nnoitra cursed, banging his fists on the door.

Grimmjow opened up his door. "Nnoi, what the hell are you doing? You're gonna get security called on us, AGAIN."

"Goddamn man, it wasn't my fault tha' time!"

The bluenette raised an eyebrow. "You broke your room's door and window."

"Hey, you _know_ tha' I got locked out. S'not MAH fault tha' they didn't have any other entrances!"

"Well it was your fault when the security lost conciousness."

Nnoitra groaned. "He wouldn't let go of me!"

Grimmjow looked at him. "Mhm."

"You know what, that doesn't even matter right now. Did you not see that again?"

Rolling his eyes, Grimmjow closed his door. He called out, "I don't care what you saw! Fuck off, I need to sleep!"

"But it's-"

"GOOD. FUCKING. NIGHT."

Nnoitra groaned. _'Why the hell do I always see that guy? I'm not even gay!'_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

Sorry this took so long to update, I wasn't quite sure how to continue this. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me. And yes, I do realize, that I'm making up words as I go along. And yeah, I know Torches don't display texts like that. I have one, I know. I just thought it would be more clear this way what was going on. Come to think of it, I've been more specific in this fic about brands and stuff. I also feel like my description of Grimmjow did him no justice. He is just too sexy for words.

And the name contest is still open, until someone gets it right. That's Nerutu, Cuchara, Grimshaw Jaguarjacks, Hogo Haisaki, Kite Tubo, and Awaremi Fuhaiki so far. Come on, people. Before I forget why I chose these names.


	3. Day 2, part 1

**DAY TWO:**

I'm just going to get this out of the way. The room assignments are: Nel and Harribel (room 603), Ulquiorra and Starrk (room 614), Nnoitra and Szayel (room 605), Grimmjow and Gin (room 613), Rukia and Tatsuki and Orihime (room 413), Renji and Chad and Uryuu (room 627), Ichigo (room 615).

MERRY CHRISMAKWANZAAKKAH!

* * *

><p><em>8:24 AM- Hotel, room 413 (Rukia, Orihime, Tatsuki's room)<em>

"I demand a new room."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Well, good morning to you too. Glad to see you slept well," she said sarcastically while cracking the door open wider.

Ichigo glared at her as he stepped into the room. "I'm serious. I need a new room."

The short girl sighed. She had told him after his hysterical phone call last night to talk about this in the morning but none the less, it felt way too early in the morning to deal with an irritable orange-head drama queen. Ichigo came knocking on her door the moment he woke up, regardless of the fact that Rukia herself wasn't exactly awake yet nor was she much of a morning person. Speaking of which, that reminded her of something.

Rukia tiptoed and slapped Ichigo hard on the back of his head with so much force that his head snapped forward and his chin stabbed his collarbone.

"What the-!" The orange head rubbed his head through his orange spikes with one hand and his chest with the other. An angry retort was on the tip of his tongue but when he took a good look at the menacing aura around his short friend, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

The irritated raven slightly deflated at Ichigo unconciously pouting. Crossing her thin arms, she huffed. "Lucky for your sorry ass, Orihime and Tatsuki woke up long before and had brought up some steaming hot breakfast, otherwise, you'd have to had prepare a will before coming to harrass me so early in the morning."

Ichigo frowned. "I know, but this is important!"

Yawning, Rukia rubbed her eyes and sat back down on her bed. Ah, she could still feel her body heat lingering on the stiff, white blankets. "Why? You've never had a problem rooming with the guys before." Sipping her coffee appreciatively, Rukia sighed as she leaned against the bedpost.

Ichigo bit into a chocolate muffin. "It's not that," he mumbled while picking at the brown sugary goodness. "Although I could always do without Renji's chainsaw snoring.

Rukia laughed. Chainsaw was an understatement. Renji's snoring was the hybrid mutant child of a jackhammer and a chainsaw. "It's nothing you're not already used to."

Scoffing, the orange-head looked at her with a single eyebrow raised. "Oh, and I suppose you find it just soooooo cute."

"It's part of his charm," she said defensively.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and lifted the muffin to his mouth to cover a smile. It had taken forever and a half for the two to start dating (mainly because of Renji's fear of Byakuya and his deficiency in balls to make a move) but he couldn't think of anyone else that would suit each other better. "Alright, fine. Defend your Renji-kins. You still haven't seen the worst of Uryuu's OCD."

"OCD?" She glanced at him quizically. She remembered the awkward times in middle and high school when Ishida would whip out his handy-dandy sewing kit whenever he caught someone's uniform out of place. "I thought dating Inoue cured him of that ages ago."

"That's what we all thought but I guess he was just suppressing it so that he wouldn't scare her off."

The raven haired girl suppressed a grin. "It's that bad?"

Setting down his muffin, Ichigo looked at his friend somberly. "He started trimming a thread from his bedspread with his emergency sewing scissors, and he spent more time sanitizing the bathroom then for ALL of us combined to use it. And then he called the main desk, complaining that he found a corner of bedsheets not tucked under the mattress at the," he punctuated with air quotes, " 'procedural measure of 45 degrees'."

Ignoring Rukia's laughter, he sipped some coffee. "But still, we already knew something was wrong with the kid."

She hummed in agreement as more awkward memories floated up through her mind. "Ain't that the truth... so if not the guys and their annoying habits, what is it then?" The girl glanced at her friend with a smirk. Even without Ichigo saying so, Rukia could tell how important this was by the fact that Ichigo ran over here in just a white t-shirt and his black and red strawberry pajama pants that he would usually never get caught dead in (she made a mental note to tease him for that later), but she enjoyed messing with him.

He looked at her innocently. "What is what?"

Rukia chucked a pillow at him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM AT GODDAMN 8 IN THE MORNING IS 'WHAT'!" She growled. Damn this idiot.

Catching the pillow easily, he hugged it to his chest and rested his chin on the corner with a frown. He looked tentatively at the fuming girl before setting his gaze on his half eaten muffin."Uh...remember that giant pirate guy from yesterday?"

Raising an eyebrow, Rukia nodded slowly. "Of course. His costume was _flawless_ from the tasseled shoes to the eyepatch to the wide hood. But was does that-" Her large eyes widened.

Ichigo looked at the look on her face and, fairly certain that she understood now, he nodded.

"Oh, Kami."

* * *

><p><em>9:52 AM- Hotel, room 613 (Grimmjow, Gin's room)<em>

"So what the hell was up with you last night?" Grimmjow looked curiously at his lanky friend. Their friends had all decided conveniently _without_ said bluenette that Grimmjow's room was going to be their (as Gin so cheerfully called it) base of operations, so obviously, breakfast was going to be had in his room as well. While they were out buying breakfast, the mangaka and Nnoitra stayed behind.

Nnoitra glared at him through his eyepatch. "Nothing. If you din't wanna hear it last night, you sure as hell ain't hearin' it now." He huffed and crossed his arms. "Bastard."

"C'mon, you can't still be mad about that. Just tell me."

"Nah, I don't feel like it."

The mangaka frowned. "Well, was it at least something important?"

"Hmmm, well, I don't really _remember_ anymore. I mean, if I had the _chance_ ta say it last night, I might just know. But I guess it's just too late now."

The teal haired man scoffed. "Bitch."

"Now now, Grimmy," Nnoitra sympathetically put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "What did I say about yelling at yourself outloud?"

He glared at the snickering man. "I'll kill you."

Nnoitra chuckled. "Yer starting ta sound more and more like Ulqui everyday now." He grinned his signature wide, piano-toothed smile. "Besides is that any way ta treat yer bestest biffle since diapers?"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes at his best friend. "That's a load of bull. We only met in high school. And we fucking hated each other back then."

"Ah, yer right. How could I forget giving yah black eyes and beating yah up every other day? Those were the days..." Nnoitra smiled dreamily as he reminisced. "Good times, good times."

"Pft." Grimmjow scoffed. "Like hell is that what happened. You kept trying to harrass me because you were jealous of my sexy hair. Not to mention you couldn't get Nel's attention any other way. Then I beat _your _sorry ass into a pulp and you decided that it would be detrimental to your health to keep messing with me, thus appointing yourself as my new best friend."

Nnoitra frowned as the door to the room opened. "Was that how it went down? You know, I don't really remember anymore."

"Remember what?" Nel walked into the room and set down the bags of breakfast on the wooden desk, before plopping down on Nnoitra's lap and giving him a quick peck. The rest of their friends filed in and began splitting up the food and settling in.

Grimmjow smirked as he helped himself to toast with strawberry jam. "He said he doesn't remember how during most of middle school, he was pining after you fruitlessly. And that he had to befriend me to get any attention from you."

"Hey. No, I wasn't _pining_, that never happened."

Nel rolled her gray eyes and exchanged looks with her best friend. Harribel smirked knowingly over a cup of coffee, "I'm pretty sure we _all_ know it happened."

Szayel chimed in. "Oh yeah, that was going on for _years_," he said as he picked at his bagel.

"Really? He's been pining since that long?" Starrk raised an eyebrow. "I thought that only started during college."

Grimmjow shook his head. "Nah, he's been after her for years. She just never said yes."

"Then that really _has _been a long time," Gin said with pity as he nibbled on a muffin.

"I WASN'T GODDAMN _PINING_, OKAY?"

Ulquiorra scoffed. "You can just keep telling yourself that."

"Dammit, like yer one ta talk! As if _you_ weren't moonin' over Toshirou for a fuckin-" he stopped when a muffin magically decided to attack him in the face. Nnoitra glared at the pale, green-eyed man who was calmly sipping his tea as though he had not just threw a ninja muffin across the room.

Nel giggled and leaned over to kiss her enraged boyfriend. She brushed the muffin crumbs off his nose lovingly. "It's okay, babe. I still said yes..."

Nnoitra grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"... it just took a while."

The lanky man scowled as his friends smirked and laughed.

"Speaking of pining," Nel looked at her brother, "you really do have to try to look for your Hogo-Ichigo-whatever today. We only have two days left!"

Gin nodded with muffin crumbs stuck on his wide smile. "Yeah! We can't just hand 'em over ta ya while ya just sit there an' do nothing. Ya gotta earn them pretty boys!"

Nnoitra yelled, "Yeah, we ain't yer pimps, bitch."

Sighing, Grimmjow gave in. "Fine. Since I already have one guy in mind, it shouldn't be that hard to find him now that I know who I'm looking for."

Ulquiorra stared at the bluenette over the steam rising in translucent white wisps from his cup of tea. "You don't think it'll be difficult to find your one guy out of the dozens of Hogo-cosplayers here?"

Grimmjow grinned and leaned back on his chair with an arm stretched out over the edge. "Not at all. He's one-of-a-kind. I can just tell."

"Aw. Such a romantic."

"Shut the hell up, Nnoi."

* * *

><p><em>11:13 AM- Hotel, room 627 (Renji, Ishida, Chad's room)<em>

Rukia had wanted to let the rest of the gang know what was going on just in case anything happened but Ichigo vehemently rejected the idea.

_She frowned at her friend. "Ichigo, this isn't the time for you to protect your pride. This could become something very serious and it really wouldn't hurt to have people on their guard for you."_

_"I know, I know." He ran a hand through his hair. "To be honest, I'm not all that worried. You saw how slow he was and he was completely open and unguarded. I could definitely take him if I needed to."_

_"But?"_

_Ichigo grimaced. "Just let me handle this."_

She didn't like the idea but it was his life and she wasn't his mom so she let him be. And now, she could understand why.

"Awww, but Ichiiiiiiii." Renji pouted, trying and failing miserably at looking cute.

The orange-head just looked at the tattooed red-head, unimpressed. "That kinda just makes me want to get out even faster."

Rukia just shook her head at her boyfriend's antics. No wonder Ichigo didn't want everyone to know. They were a... lively bunch, so to say the least, and who knows how they would react if they knew what was really going on? No, wait. She did know. There would be bloodshed and someone was going to call the security on them (again) while Renji treated the whole situation as though he was the lead in a soap opera/Asian drama.

She was just glad there'd be nothing particularly interesting going on today until the afternoon. Otherwise, the day would get even more chaotic. Looking at the digital clock on the room's nightstand, she remembered that it was about time to meet up with the girls. "Alright, guys. I'm going but don't forget: one o'clock at the cafe for lunch. Don't be late!"

"Bye, babe." Renji leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

She smacked him over the head. "Don't you 'babe' me. It's not going to make me anymore lenient if you're late."

He grinned. "Love you too, sweetums!"

Dropping the card that held Ichigo's new room keys on the desk, she exchanged a sympathetic look with her orange-haired friend who gave her a tiny smirk in response before she left.

"Arghhh, alright fine, so I can't pull off the cute thing. I wonder how that cat from Shrek does it..." Renji mumbled to himself. Wait, no, he's getting side-tracked! "Ichigo! You can't just switch rooms like that! What about our male bonding time?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and continued packing the few items he had used last night. "I've been cursed with your ugly mug since we were nine-years-old. Ten years of bonding with you is like ten lifetimes of bonding with a normal person." He grinned when he saw Chad nodding.

"So cold," Renji said with a sniffle. "What happened to our brotherhood, guys? We used to be tight!"

"Your snoring cut through it like the chainsaw it resembles so much," snapped Ishida. He pushed his glasses up towards his black-ringed eyes. "Have you never tried any of those 'bound to stop snoring' products?"

The red-head scoffed. "That shit's bull."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "So you've really tried them before?"

Renji shrugged. "Technically,_ I _didn't try them out."

"You know someone who did, then?"

Fiddled with the liutenant badge on his black Shinigami costume, Renji looked at his shoes. "Not really. Rukia stuck a bunch on me while I was taking a nap at her place."

Ichigo snorted as he dumped his folded pajamas. He scowled when a thought occured to him. _'Goddamn, I can't believe I didn't remember to change out of those pj pants!' _His eyebrows furrowed as he thought of Rukia's smug face when she saw him earlier that morning. The sneaky bitch. "That I can believe."

"Wait," Ishida said. "Why did she give up?"

The red head beamed. "She said, and I quote, 'there is no creation known to mankind that can make you shut the f**k up' so she just accepted it."

Chad hummed in understanding. "There is no perfection like imperfection."

Ichigo grinned, knowing he was talking about Tatsuki's unchangable streak of violence.

When they first started dating, Tatsuki had tried to suppress her urge to bruise something and someone (usually Ichigo, Renji, and/or Keigo) every hour so that she could match the gentle giant she had fallen for. By the end of day one, she had already broken her resolution four times. Once for Ichigo, once for Renji, and twice for Keigo because he was doubly stupid.

"Wait! Stop right there, Kurosaki Ichigo!" Renji narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I see what you're trying to do here... You're trying to distract us and then abandon us while we aren't watching!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Oh for Kami's sake, I'm just moving down the hall! You make it sound like I'm running off to Siberia to elope and you're my scorned lover."

"I am _not_- wait. Down the hall?"

"Yes." He spoke slowly and clearly through gritted teeth. "I am just going. Down. The. Hall."

"Oh. Then go along now, little one."

The orange-head sighed and he hefted his gray duffle bag over his shoulder. "Alright then. I'm going. Down the hall. No more qualms, right?"

Renji perked up. "Wait! One more thing!"

"What?"

"Can I room with you?"

Ichigo slammed the door shut.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

Sorry for the incredibly slow updates recently. I've been rather busy with school, and life, and depression... sorta. If you feel the need to rush me or remind me or inspire me, well, go ahead because I tend not to write until a BAM-life-inspired-me-must-get-this-down-and-update moment happens. I've also been bouncing around between several drafts of new fics.

How'd I do? Any advice? I feel like this is too much dialogue and not enough progress in the plot. But I don't want to rush it... Am I being too mean to Nnoitra? And Renji? I'll take all your opinions into consideration. Except being nicer to Nnoitra... he just looks like a target sign for insults and ninja muffins. Must be that giant spoon hood. I bet it could catch all of Ulquiorra's muffin launches. Hell, that's probably why it's even there. I apologize, I don't actually hate either one of them, it's just that they make such easy targets.

As for the name contest, KawaiiBerry-chan is closest right now. Come on, people!


	4. Day 2, part 2

**DAY TWO: (cont.d)**

_2:05 PM- Mangacon_

"Hi, excuse me?"

The man turned around to see a gorgeous woman dressed as Nerutu smiling sweetly at him. She had long green hair curling down her back from a little white skull mask on her head and wore a white cosplay uniform that hugged her figure, accentuating her slim waist and feminine curves. A pink patch of color was painted upon the bridge of her nose. Large grayish brown eyes peered up at him through a thick frame of eyelashes. She giggled, the sound soft and girlish. His eyes followed the movement of her pink lips as they moved.

Nel looked confusedly at the man gaping at her. The man was built like a football player and had an angular jawline. His hair was bright orange with blonde highlights and his eyes were a mild but pretty hazel shade, almost the color of wheat. He had a piercing through his earlobe and his cartilage. She knew he was a little too tall and muscular for Grimmjow's taste but he certainly was attractive so she approached him, hoping for the best. Now, after watching him open and close his mouth like a fish (and was that _drool_ collecting at the corner of his mouth?) she was wondering if perhaps he was hard of hearing. _'Crap, I hope not. I already sent Grimmy a picture.' _

She laughed nervously. "Uh, hello?"

He jumped before smirking flirtaciously at Nel. "Well, hello there."

The green haired girl smiled awkwardly. "Uh, hi. I saw you over here and I realized that you must be a fan of Peroxide! Your costume is great, by the way."

"I could say the same to you," the orange haired man said with a wink. "It really, _really_ suits you," he said as his eyes roamed over her figure.

A green eyebrow twitched when Nel realized where the man's eyes were fixed on. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively, effectively breaking his line of vision. "So, um, who's your favorite Peroxide character?"

He grinned and she fought back a grimace. "It used to be Ofrenda- cause' I mean, look at her, she's totally hot. And when she goes into Resurrecion mode? Damn..." he trailed off, leaving a dazed but pleased look in his eyes and a displeased and disgusted look in Nel's eyes.

She cleared her throat and he remembered where he was. "But now," the man leaned in closer to Nel and slid an arm around her shoulders, "I think I found someone even hotter."

"Hahahaha," she laughed robotically. "Is that so?"

Well, at least he was a fan of the Espadas. It had to count for something, right? Nel eased her way out of his touch and backed away a step. "So I take it that you're a fan of Grimshaw, then?"

The man scoffed. "Aw, hell no. What kinda conceited asshole is called the _Sex_ta? If anyone ought to be called 'sex', it's Hogo," he said latching his arm around Nel's waist and murmured in her ear, "am I right?"

She twitched again and turned to him. "So why did you decide to cosplay as Hogo?"

"Well, the guy's kinda a pussy," the tall man drawled, "and has a huge hero complex, so I didn't really want to cosplay as him. But the store ran out of all the other costumes and I figured with looks like mine, it didn't matter 'cause I'd be able to pull it off."

"Really." Nel broke free from his embrace and stepped around him. "It's been... interesting talking to you but I have to go." She turned to leave when she felt a hand around her arm.

"Aw, you don't have to go just yet, do you?" He pulled her in close and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm sure there's a lot more about me that you'll _interesting,_" he whispered, with his face buried in her hair.

She twitched again. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. In fact, say, how 'bout you and me check out how interesting my hotel room can be?"

The man looked at the girl in his arms and grinned when he saw her smile.

* * *

><p><em>2:22 PM- Mangacon<em>

"One... two... and three!"

The teams of medics hoisted the incapacitated man onto the gurney.

The head medic shook his head. Yet another one. But really, it was bound to happen. Every year, at least one team had to be sent to the Mangacon at least once. He remembered thinking before receiving his degree that otakus were mild and defenseless. Just nerds that loitered around bookstores all day before going home and facing their anime and manga until they went to sleep, hugging their body-sized pillows that were printed with the face of some cartoon. Now, jaded and experienced with the world, he could easily think of a series of incidents to prove himself wrong. If anything, these manga-crazed fans were just a bomb waiting to go off, and these conventions were a battlefield for them to test their knowledge and passion of 2D animation against one another.

He looked at the bloodied and bruised-mottled face of the orange-haired man in black robes and sighed.

"Alright, we're clear. Let's get moving." He waved a signal over to the rest of the medics and they started pushing the gurney towards the exit.

Two women peeked at the leaving ambulance team from around the large white pole concealing them from the crowd. Harribel frowned as her best friend sank to the tiled floor in relief.

"Nel, you can't keep doing this everytime."

Nel scoffed. "You would do the same thing if you heard what he was saying about _your _character."

"It's nothing I haven't heard already," she said. "If anyone, you should be mad at Grimmjow for making our characters dress that way."

The green haired woman pouted up at her. "But it wasn't his fault! And it wasn't my fault either! He was just asking for it, going all 'ooh, look at me, I have muscles and I'm sooo hot so I can grope you all over the place!'"

Harribel rolled her bright green eyes at Nel's defense of her pervert brother and her exaggeratedly deep 'man' voice . "He already has to suffer through stupidity; don't go making his existence even more pathetic and meaningless by sending him off to the hospital. Besides, you'll get your hands dirty."

"Oh, right, like you haven't done that before?"

"I'm not denying that I haven't, I'm just saying that we shouldn't." The blonde paused. "Unless they're so stupid that we would be putting an end to their misery," she amended.

"Well, this one was." Nel crossed her arms petulantly. "And here I thought he might be good enough for Grimmy."

Haribel sighed and sat down on the ground next to her friend, careful of the arrangement of her long white pants. "Have you ever thought that maybe you should just let him find love on his own?"

"But he's _not_ finding anyone! That's the whole issue here!"

"He might not be looking hard enough but he didn't exactly ask for a full-blown hunt either."

"I just want to see him happy!" Nel said, throwing her arms in the air. "If I'm going to hand him off to someone, shouldn't I at least be able to approve of him first?"

Harribel sighed. "It's _his_ life. His opinion is the only one that matters."

"Sure, he knows what he wants. He knows _so_ well that he was able to write an entire series about it. But he's just sitting around, dreaming up his perfect Hogo-character. If he's not going to do something about it, I am!"

Harribel replied calmly. "If that's how he wants to go about this, then you should let him do it that way. I mean, he's a grown man afterall." Though he certainly didn't act it all the time.

"Yeah," Nel pouted stubbornly. "He's all grown up now and he doesn't need his big sister to butt into his life and baby him."

Haribel smiled, seeing the truth behind Nel's words. "Nel, Grimmjow has never _needed_ you."

Nel wanted to retort but was silenced by her friend's stare.

"I know that, you know that, and Grimmjow has always known that. But even though he doesn't need you like he needs air, he still loves you. If he didn't, he wouldn't bother listening to you."

Her green haired friend scoffed. "He _doesn't_ listen to me."

Harribel rolled her eyes. "Fine, he wouldn't bother listening to you as much as he could possibly listen to someone." Which still wasn't much but it was better than nothing at all.

Nel didn't reply.

"My point is that you're always going to be 'Nel nee-chan' to him, no matter how old you two get. So just let him decide on his own."

Nel sat there silently, before smirking. "Don't let him know that you know he calls me that."

"Wasn't planning to. Until his wedding day."

Gray-brown eyes rolled at that idea. "Considering he finds his ginger before he's too old to say 'I do.'"

"Fair enough."

Nel buried her face with her hands and let out a muffled groan into them. "This isn't working. There _has_ to be an easier way to find Grimmjow a man," she said with furrowed brows.

Harribel hummed in agreement. "This 'hunt' is going to get old after a couple more hours and then your soldiers are going to give up."

"Not Nnoi."

"He doesn't count. He's not a soldier; he's a minion," she pointed out.

"Fair enough," Nel repeated with a smug smile. "If only there was a way of making all of _them_ come to us, rather than us go to them..." She drew her knees to her chest and laid her chin upon her folded arms. "But what could possibly get all of them to come to us?"

"We would have to lure them in with something." She fell to a silence while the inner workings of her mind spun out the makings of a brilliant plan. "Or someone."

One look at the blonde and Nel reached the same epiphany. She grinned. "And this is why you're my best friend."

* * *

><p><em>6:37 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Rukia, are you done yet?" Tatsuki waved her phone at the shorter girl. "The guys are waiting at the diner."

"Sorry, in a minute." For the billionth time in the past two days, her violet eyes scanned the crowd of people for that one special person.

Orihime gently put a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "Rukia-chan, I don't think he's here. The rumor was probably fake."

Sighing, Rukia hung her head. "I'm starting to think that too," she said sadly.

Orihime smiled comfortingly at her friend. "I'm sorry, Rukia-chan. We know how much you were looking forward to meeting him."

"Tch. What kind of fucktards spread these kind of rumors anyway?" Tatsuki scowled. "Don't feel bad, Rukia, I bet it was some nerd with no life whose only hobby is loitering around bookstores all day. They probably can't even get laid and have to sleep hugging their body-sized pillows."

Rukia mustered up a slight smile at that. "I guess I was so hoping to meet Kite Tubo-sensei that I didn't think about whether it might be just a rumor."

"Cheer up, Rukia-chan!" said the chipper red-head girl. "There's still one day left, right?"

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe you'll meet him tomorrow."

Rukia shook her head, "I wouldn't count on it but thanks anyway. Come on, let's go meet the guys before they start bitching about us being late," she said with a roll of her eyes. Rukia tugged on their arms towards the direction of the closest exit but they didn't move.

She tugged on them again but they still didn't respond, instead both just looked off at the same direction. "Tatsuki? Orihime?"

Nothing.

"Guys. Food. _Hello_?"

Tatsuki snapped out of her daze first. "Rukia, do you see that stand over there?"

She stood on the tips of her toes and squinted. She wasn't quite tall enough to see over the heads blocking the sign over the stand. "Barely. Why?" She turned towards her friends who grinned widely at her. Tatsuki quickly ran towards the stand, leaving Orihime to explain to the confused girl.

"'Peroxide Character Lookalike Contest,'" read Orihime.

Tatsuki came back and handed them each a flier.

She hurriedly scanned the text of the brightly colored flier. "Character lookalike contest... the best Hogo cosplayer... prize is-" she gasped and her large lavender eyes grew even larger, "a meeting with KITE TUBO?" She looked at her friends with her trembling hands clutching the flier like a lifeline.

Tatsuki laughed at the overwhelmed and ill-concealed glee on Rukia's face, knowing that there was a fangirl squeal inside of the shorter girl just waiting to be freed. "Now you can't complain about not being able to meet him."

Rukia squealed and jumped up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But we would need Kurosaki-kun to help us," Orihime said with a contemplating frown. "I don't think he would want to do this, Rukia-chan." She looked the empty space where her friend should have been. "Huh? Rukia-chan?"

Gesturing towards the stand where Rukia was shoving her way through, Tatsuki shook her head with a grin.

Rukia slammed her hand down on the table of the stand. "How do I apply?"

The girl manning the registration table reflexively recoiled from the tiny girl before her. One look into those unnaturally purple eyes burning with an even more unnatural fire had her survival insticts telling her to RUN. Run for her dear life and not look back.

Rukia frowned. Registration-table-girl wasn't responding fast enough. She pulled the girl up to her eye-level by the shirt. "HOW. DO. I APPLY?"

Shaking hands delivered her a form on a clipboard and Rukia immediately released registration-table-girl. She quickly filled out the blanks and signed.

Tatsuki smirked and Orihime smiled in confusion when the short girl returned with a satisfied look on her face.

The trio headed towards the diner when Orihime remembered the issue at hand. "Rukia-chan? I'm sorry but don't you need Kurosaki-kun to enter the contest? I don't think he would agree to it..."

Both raven-haired girls scoffed.

"Don't worry about that," Tatsuki dismissed.

Rukia laughed under her breath, already planning out what she would say when she met Kite Tubo-sensei. She chuckled darkly, ignoring the frightened stares that she elicited from random passerbyes.

Oh, she was _definitely_ going to win this.

* * *

><p><em>10:18 PM- Hotel<em>

Grimmjow leaned against the elevator walls with a frown on his face. Dinner was all kinds of suspicious. He kept getting the sense that his friends were watching him, like they all knew something he didn't, something they _really_ wanted to tell him but were forbidden from speaking of, so they were waiting for the Kodak moment when whatever that 'something' was, hit him.

At first he thought he was just imagining it, but no, it was really happening. So he just irritably, eliciting a disturbing smile now and then when he met with one of their gazes. He knew that nothing he could say or do would get them to spill, and he also knew that _they_ knew that he knew something was up. And he knew that they were being exceptionally obvious about the fact that they were hiding something, just because they knew it would piss him off.

He glared off at a distance.

The last time Grimmjow had this feeling was when they tried to throw him a surprise party for the serialization of Peroxide. To say that the party did not go well would be an understatement. While they were waiting for him to come home (he _knew_ he shouldn't have given Nel a copy of his keys!) they got bored and started playing with the matches for the cake. They ended up setting his kitchen table on fire and burning out one of the lighting wires. He came home when they were still trying to put out the fire. Since it was all dark and there was smoke and screaming and yelling, Grimmjow really couldn't be blamed for thinking his apartment was under attack when he punched the person who was stupid enough to give him a celebratory glomp. It was Szayel.

Suffice it to say that their "we know something you don't and boy, are we looking forward to having you find out to whatever our mysterious 'something' is" look did not bode well with him.

Eventually, his discomfort and annoyance got to him and he left, but not before they all had the chance to simultaneously smile creepily at him. Their smiles were what pedophiles studied and envied.

"See you... _tomorrow_, Grimmjow," Starrk said with an eerie grin.

"Yes... _tomorrow._" Ulquiorra repeated with a curl on his lips.

Ulquiorra smiling was already pretty creepy in itself but with the whole damn table smiling at him and following his every move until he was out of sight, Grimmjow nearly punched a hole in their heads.

_'Damn,' _he thought when he remembered that Gin would be back after the movie in Nnoitra and Szayel's room was over. _'I'm gonna have to spend the whole night with him and his 'yes, Grimmjow, _tomorrow_'s and his damn smiles. Which are bad enough when they're normal but now he actually has a 'something' to smile about.' _Grimmjow inwardly groaned.

-_ding-_

Grimmjow was still wondering if maybe if he fell asleep early enough, he would be able to escape a few more hours of suffering when shiny silver doors opened and someone stepped into the elevator.

_'No, it wouldn't work. He'd just be there when I wake up. Knowing him, Gin would probably wake up a few minutes before me just so that the first thing I see in the morning would be his face.' _He scowled. _'Fucking bastard.'_

Amber-brown eyes enlarged when they rested on the teal-haired man in the elevator. "Oh, wow. Hey, I can't believe I'm catching you here," he said delightedly.

_'He's a sick bastard. They all are! Why are all my friends such messed up people?'_

"Grimmjow?"

_'Is it really true that your friends are just a reflection of yourself? Damn, I hope not.'_

A familiar scowl fell on his face. "Hey. Are you ignoring me?"

_'I'm not _that_ messed up, am I? I'm normal. Well, maybe more handsome and talented than normal but-"_

"GRIMMJOW."

The bluenette jumped, now pulled out of his thoughts, and saw a handsome orange-haired man scowling up at him with a pair of irritated chocolate brown eyes. No, not _a_ handome orange-haired man, _the _handsome orange-haired man!

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Oh, so _now_ you're talking to me?"

Grimmjow stared at the orange-head incredulously. It was him. It was really him! "Sorry, I was thinking about something before."

"I could tell," the brown-eyed boy replied tersely.

The bluenette winced. "Sorry?"

Ichigo grinned. "It's okay, I'm not really mad. Are you staying here too?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow replied, beyond relieved that this orange-haired creation of perfection was not upset with him. "Sixth floor."

"Hey, me too." Ichigo leaned back against the same wall Grimmjow was leaning against a second ago. "Strange coincedence."

The blue-eyed man hummed in agreement and leaned back next to Ichigo. "So... you're here with your friends," he said recalling their previous conversation.

"Yup. You too?"

-_ding-_

The two of them stepped out of the elevator.

"Yeah, me too. Friends, my sister, and their boyfriends and girlfriends." Yes, this would lead up to his question nicely. Grimmjow cleared his throat and looked away as they walked down the hall together. "Come to think of it, lots of people come in couples. You know, cosplaying together too."

Ichigo nodded. "Right? Way more people do that than I thought." This was the perfect oppurtunity to ask. He glanced up at the teal-haired man beside him and averted his eyes after a moment of marveling. It was now or never. "So... are you and your girlfriend cosplaying together?"

"What? Oh, no. I'm single." Sapphire blue eyes met with amber-brown ones briefly. "How 'bout you? Are you and your girlfriend doing that?" Please say no, please say no, please say no.

The orange-head cleared his throat. "Uh, no. I don't have anyone like that. Besides, I don't swing that way."

_'YESSSSSS!'_

"I see," Grimmjow said nonchalantly for all the cheering he did on the inside. "Well, this is my room," he said as they stopped outside room 613. Was that insinuating too much? He didn't want to come across the wrong way. He hoped Ichigo didn't take it that way.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Uh, this is my room," he said pointing at the room across from Grimmjow's.

Grimmjow's eyes also widened. "Strange coincedence..." Should he invite him to his room? But that might scare him off! He didn't want Ichigo to think of him as a pervert, but who knows when they might run into each other again? Grimmjow stilled as thoughts warred against each other.

"Yeah..." Ichigo inserted his room card and opened his door. "Uh, well, nice seeing you again. Maybe we could-"

"Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"I- sure," the orange-head said with no small amount of delighted surprise. "Is one o' clock okay?"

"Yeah, perfect. At Cafe Kabuto?"

"Sounds good."

"It's a date, then." Grimmjow grinned at Ichigo. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Ichigo grinned back at him. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

They both stepped into their respective rooms and closed the door.

Grimmjow danced around in his room, cheering silently.

Ichigo tackled his bed and rolled around in glee, screaming softly into his pillows.

The bluenette realized in the middle of his happy-dance that somehow, 'tomorrow' sounded much better coming from Ichigo. He grinned.

_'Tomorrow...'_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

Research for a new fic I'm writing: what is your favorite yaoi pairing that does not include Ichigo or Grimmjow?

I know I've been slow which is why this is a long chapter. There should be 3 or 4 more chapters to this (do you guys want an epilogue for this? I kinda do. I like epilogues) and for my "Random Acts" readers, there should be 3 or 4 more chapters also (do you want me to include Aizen and Ichigo's fight scene? It'll be brief, if I include it). Sorry to keep you waiting, and thanks for reading!


	5. Day 3, part 1

**DAY THREE:**

_12:37 PM- Mangacon, Moegi Maid Cafe_

"Man, do I love this place," Renji sighed as yet another giggly girl dressed in a flouncy maid uniform passed by and put down a cup of coffee. She put it down right next to the green tea, milkshake, ice cream, soda, water, cake, and omelet that he had taken his sweet time to order. One at a time. His eyes followed the skirt of the maid as she flounced away. He smiled contentedly and turned his attention back as his friends.

Ichigo, Ishida, and Chad stared at him in revulsion from across the table (now every inch of which being covered with food) with their arms crossed.

Renji shrank at the intensity of their looks. "What?" he said defensively.

"You're sick," Ishida spat.

Ichigo glared. "Pervert."

"Oh, what? Like you didn't look?" Renji crossed his arms over his chest with a pout. "Hypocrites."

"Renji."

"What?" he snapped.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I'm gay."

...

"Oh."

"Yeah." Ichigo scoffed and glanced briefly at his watch. "Not only a pervert but a moron too."

Renji looked away with a scowl. "Hey, it's human reaction! It's in our _instincts. _And I know I saw Ishida and Chad looking!"

Ishida snorted. "It's _instinct _to look. It's _creepy_ when you sit at the same table for hours so that you can order one thing at a time and watch girls bounce around in skirts and call you 'master.'" He pushed up his glasses and looked down at the tattooed man with disdain. "Tsk. Like some middle-aged man hitting on schoolgirls."

Chad nodded with a disapproving frown that said it all.

The red-head frowned, confidence dying away. "It's not like I did anything to them..." he grumbled.

"You have a girlfriend," Ishida said.

"A violent, temperamental girlfriend with a black belt who won't hesitate to kick your soul out of your ass."

"Why do you think I'm doing this?" the red-head retorted. "This is my rehab! Therapy for my poor, abused soul!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Has it occured to you that perhaps it might not be the wisest decision to go into 'rehab'," he emphasized with air quotes and a roll of his brown eyes, "literally only fifty feet away from your girlfriend?"

Renji waved the warning off. "I would be if she wasn't at the yaoi doujin section. Again." Sipping one of the many drinks he had ordered, he leaned back on the legs of his chair. "And as experience has shown us, once they go in, they don't resurface for a couple hours. So I might as well just sit back, relax, and heal."

The other boys visibly deflated at that last bit, because... it was true.

Brown eyes watched the clock from under an orange fringe. Clearing his throat, Ichigo stood up. "You know what? I think I'm going to go check out one of the panels."

"Really? Which one?" Ishida asked almost hopefully. "Maybe I should go to."

_'Shit!' _

"No!"

Ishida frowned. "Why not?"

"'Cause, it's, uh- the one... about..." Ichigo panicked and mentally searched his brain for something that they were actually offering that the uptight nerd would never go to.

"The one about the similarities between gender-bender shoujo and yaoi?" Chad offered with a knowing look.

Ichigo smiled gratefully. "Yeah, that's the one."

_'Thank kami for Chad. He always knows what to say. Wait a second. Does this mean he knows?' _The orangette looked questioningly at his quiet friend and Chad nodded back with a soft smile. _'What? He knows! But how? I wasn't _that_ obvious, was I?'_

"Oh. Go... have fun or whatever. I'll just be here. Waiting. For a while." He sighed as he slid further down into his depression.

Smiling to himself, Ichigo pushed his chair in.

"Thanks, I plan to."

* * *

><p><em>12:24 PM- Hotel, room 613 (Grimmjow, Gin's room)<em>

Frowning at the mirror, Grimmjow pulled back several strands of his hair and tugged at his half-jacket. He examined himself then started the whole process over again.

"Would you stop that already? Stop being so fidgety," came an irritated voice from the doorway. Ulquiorra folded his arms crossly. "You look the same as always."

"Is that good or bad?" Then sense hit him and the bluenette snorted. "That's stupid, of course it's good. But what if it's not good enough? For him, I mean."

Ulquiorra scoffed. "You would probably make a better impression if you weren't half-naked but who knows? He might be into that kind of thing."

Looking in the mirror again, the bluenette tried to pull his jacket down but it covered nothing. "Damn it, if Nel didn't take all my clothes I wouldn't be dressed like this right now!" After changing into the cosplay on the first day, Nel had taken all of his usual clothes and hid them in her own room while he was in the shower, knowing that there was no other way she could get him to keep cosplaying for the remainder of the convention. No amount of fuming and threats had changed her mind.

The mangaka cursed. Why did his sister have to know him so well?

"Well, you could still get the keys to her room if you had just told her. I'm sure she would have no objections." Ulquiorra's lips curled into what might just possibly be a smirk. "In fact, I think she would whole-heartedly support this date."

Grimmjow glared at him unamusedly, knowing that Ulquiorra knew exactly why Nel could not know about this. Because if Nel knew, then everyone knew. And if everyone knew, then any remote hint of peace and privacy would be shot to Mars and never to return. And those circumstances could only lead to one thing: Ichigo freaking out and running away, never to return again. And maybe possibly a law suit. '_Come to think of it, thank kami that Starrk's a lawyer,' _the bluenette mused.

Hell, the only reason why the mangaka let Ulquiorra know at all was he was _dying_ to tell someone that holy hell, he _did_ it, he finally and really did it, he found his Hogo and they were going on a date! And out of all their friends, Ulquiorra was least likely to tell anyone.

Blue eyes looked at their reflection again and Grimmjow turned left and right with his eyebrows furrowed. He knew he looked good and he had the body to pull the look off (especially considering that the white outfit was literally made for him, and by him) but damn did he wish he had some clothes on.

'_As if I'm not going to be self-concious enough, now I have to do this practically half-naked. Maybe Ichigo won't mind? Shit, what if he thinks I'm a pervert? Crap, I hope not.' _Grimmjow frowned at himself and exhaled frustratedly. He hated having to put this much thought into a date. Like some kind of teenage girl, infatuated with her first crush. He was only ever used to putting this much thought into making Peroxide.

He eyed his perfectly combed back hair for a second before ruffling it back to its usual messy perfection, strands in face and all. "Alright, fuck it. How do I look?" he asked, turning to Ulquiorra.

The pale man rolled his eyes. "Like a blushing bride on her wedding day. Now get going or you're going to late. Don't come whining to me when your little Strawberry gets pissed off and leaves when you don't show."

Blue eyes widened. "Oh, crap. You're right!" He high-tailed it out of there, leaving a stunned Ulquiorra.

Moments later, the shorter man was still facing the closed door, green eyes slightly larger than usual.

"Did he just say that I was _right_?"

* * *

><p><em>1:07 PM- Cafe Kabuto, near Mangacon<em>

Leaning against the window of the cafe from the outside, Ichigo looked at his watch and ran his fingers through his hair- still slightly damp from his shower. Thank goodness he wasn't late. After leaving the guys, he hurried to his room and changed. Sure, it might have been unnecessary to go through all the effort but he was NOT going to spend his first date with a terrifically gorgeous potential love interest carrying a ridiculously big weapon and dressed like in some black, shapeless... thing.

_'And now, I sound like a chick.'_

He scowled. Though in his defense, Grimmjow definitely was worth the nervousness and the jitters. Ichigo had only met him once or twice but he could see bits of the blue-haired man's personality already. Recalling their brief encounters, he knew that Grimmjow could go from endearingly awkward to confidently suave in a matter of seconds. He knew from getting no response the first few times he tried to talk to the blue-haired man, that the blue-haired man was one of those types of people who only existed in their own worlds once they started thinking. He knew, from the fond way Grimmjow had mentioned his sister and friends, that he cared about them deeply.

Considering that they've only known each other for two days, Ichigo was rather proud of his keen, discerning judgement.

"Hey," a voice called out and broke his train of thought.

Grimmjow smiled when he saw Ichigo turn his way. "You haven't been waiting long, have you?"

"Nope, just got here," the orange-haired man said as the two of them walked into the cafe.

The pair sat down at a table by the windows when Grimmjow's half-jacket rose up again. Quickly he tugged it back down.

_'Oh c__rap, I knew I should have changed. Now he's in his regular clothes, and I'm just strollin' around, practically half-naked. Damn it, Nel!__ Holy crap, what if he thinks I'm narcissistic? Or a manwhore!' _Grimmjow mentally groaned. _'Why am I so lame?'_

As the mangaka cursed his stupidity, a waiter with glasses and white hair in a ponytail came to order. He took one look at the two and a slow smile spread across his face. "Hello, and welcome to Cafe Kabuto. My name is Kabuto and I'll be your waiter today. If there's anything, _anything_, I can do for you two handsome young men, feel free to ask."

Electric blue eyes met with golden brown ones and the two grinned at each other knowingly. They ordered and the waiter was about to return to the kitchen when he turned back and said, "Anything! Really. Don't be shy."

"Uh, thanks but we'll be fine," Ichigo responded with polite amusement.

The waiter sulkingly retreated, casting a wistful glance at the pair.

Grimmjow frowned. _'Is he always this popular? That's a stupid question, just look at him!' _And he did. Ichigo looked friggin' delectable in his denim skinny jeans and tan jacket. His white t-shirt complimented his tanned skin quite attractively. Taking a look around, the bluenette saw that he wasn't the only one with eyes for his date. Males, females, and people in between were all watching enviously while the orange-head remained oblivious. Speaking of which, Ichigo looked up and grinned at him. Grimmjow grinned back and had to hold himself back from jumping him. _'Damn. He's adorable. This is going to be a problem.'_

_'Hot damn. Look at him,'_ Ichigo mused to himself as his tawny eyes ran appreciatively across his date's figure. _'He could model if he wanted to. Hmm, if I knew he was going to come in cosplay, I wouldn't have changed.'_

_'Is he staring at me? Do I have something on my face? But I didn't even eat anything! No, no, be cool. Heh, who knows? Maybe he's checking you out?' _He looked up and unexpectedly caught Ichigo's gaze. The two laughed nervously and looked away.

_'AHHH! He caught you staring!' _The orange-head turned his head down to cover up his flaming red cheeks. _'Noo, now you look like a creeper. A pervert. Why am I so lame?'_

Fortunately, the waiter returned with their food. Putting down the plates, he leaned in close. "Please. _E__njoy_," he said with a chuckle. As he left, Grimmjow could barely hear him mumble, "I know I will."

"Did you hear that?"

"Hm?" Ichigo asked with a fork in his mouth. "Hear what?"

"I- uh, nothing." Grimmjow grinned, sharp canines making him look a bit predatory. "Let's eat."

"Itadakimasu," they both said and began eating. In silence.

_'Well, this is awkward.'_

_'Awkward silence. I should say something. But what if he gets grossed out when people eat and talk at the same time?'_

_'Say something!' _Ichigo didn't know if he was racking his own mind or trying to send telepathic waves to his date.

_'Fuck it, I'll just say something.'_

"So-"

"How-"

"Oh, sorry. What were you going to say?"

"No, it's fine," Grimmjow waved a hand dismissively. "You go first."

"Oh. Uh. Thanks. I was going to ask, how is your head now?"

A thin blue brow arched. "Considering that the last time I checked, it was still attached to my body, it's... fine?"

The orange-head winced. "Sorry, I really didn't mean to throw that. Well, I did, but not at you!"

"What? Oh, you're talking about the flying Zangetsu?" Grimmjow laughed. "Don't worry about that. I've had worse thrown at me."

Ichigo chuckled. "Worse than a flying 25 pound giant cleaver? Now this, I have to hear."

"Hm, I dunno. It's some pretty crazy shit."

Ichigo smirked and leaned in. "Trust me when I say that no amount of crazy can faze me anymore."

Grimmjow chuckled and leaned in automatically. "Is that a challenge?"

"Nope, it's a winning claim."

"Oh, really?" The mangaka grinned. Ichigo had fire. He liked that. "Alright, so this one time..."

* * *

><p><em>2:21 PM- Cafe Kabuto, near Mangacon<em>

"No way. He really knocked out the security?"

Grimmjow slurped the last of his soda. "Yup. And so we got banned from another place."

"Wow, your friends are as crazy as mine," Ichigo swallowed his remaining bites of dessert. "And I thought that was impossible."

"So did I win?" The bluenette asked with a cocky grin.

"No, but you were pretty close. A for effort."

They had finished eating long ago, and even paid the tab already but neither were exactly dying to leave. Neither of them said it but they both hoped that this budding relationship would last, and if it did, their friends would get along great.

-_I was like, b__aby, baby, baby, ohh. Like baby, baby, baby, ohh-_

One look at each other and the two of them started laughing.

"Man, whose ringtone is that?" Grimmjow chuckled.

Ichigo smirked. "Yeah, that's going to be embarrassing to answer now."

-_I thought you'd always be mine, mine-_

The song kept playing and they couldn't help noticing that it sounded like the song was coming from somewhere close by...

"Ichigo?"

"That's my name," he said, poking the ice in his glass with his straw.

"I think it's yours."

The orange-head scoffed. "No way, my ringtone is _Monster_ by Skillet."

-_I was like, b__aby, baby, baby, ohh-_

"Ichigo. It's yours."

Frowning, Ichigo dug into his pocket and took out his phone. The black android sang out: _Like baby, baby, baby, ohh._

"Oh." The orange-head turned red. "Uh, would you mind if I answer?"

Grimmjow was too laughing too hard to answer so he just waved a yes.

Clearing his throat, the furiously blushing strawberry blonde answered. "Hello?"

_"Heya, Ichi. Didya enjoy your new ringtone?"_

"God damn you, Renji! When the hell did you change it?_"_

_"Heh,"_ the self-satisfied voice of the red-head answered back, _"__When you were taking a pee in the little strawberry's room."_

"I'll kill you. One of these days, I'll really kill you."

_"Get in line. Anyhow, Rukia says to get your ass over at the stage. Center of the main square, first floor." _

"What?" He frowned. "But I'm in the middle of something!"

A squawking alto voice could be heard from the background. _"She says you have 10 minutes to get over there or she'll castrate you and feed your precious to the dogs."_

Ichigo groaned. Trust his friends to get in the way of his date, when he had finally met a great guy like Grimmjow. "Fine. I'll go. Tell her to quit her bitchin'," he snapped before hanging up.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, I gotta go. My friends need me to be somewhere," he sighed. "I'm really sorry."

"Oh," the bluenette said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Well, sure. Go ahead."

"Oh, wait! Give me your phone?" He took the white blackberry from Grimmjow's offered hand and pressed some buttons. "There. Now you have my number," and moments later Ichigo's phone rang again, "and now I have yours. Let's do this again sometime."

Grimmjow took his phone back with a smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Ichigo grinned. "Cool. I'll see again, then," he said and left.

Blue eyes on the retreating figure, the mangaka let out a happy little sigh. _'Man, how lucky am I?' _

_-You get the best of both worlds, chillin' out take it slow, then you rock out the show-_

Grimmjow frowned. Whose ringtone was that? People really had some weird ringtones these days.

-_You get the best of both worlds, mix it all together- _

"Excuse me but are you going to get that?"

Grimmjow glared at the frowning man. "It's not mine."

_-and you know that it's the best of both worlds-_

"It's yours."

With a sense of deja-vu, the bluenette looked at the phone in his hands and yup, it was his. He picked up his phone and scowled at the screen.

"Gin, you son of a gun."

_"Hey there, sunshine."_

"Cut the crap. When did you change my ringtone?"

_"While ya were sleeping. Speakin' of which, yer just too darn cute when you sleep."_

Fingers rubbing the furrow of his brows, Grimmjow growled. "Whaddaya want, creeper?"

_"Be at tha stage at 3. It's on tha first floor, center of tha main square."_

"Why?"

Gin chuckled. _"Just trust me. Yer not gonna want to miss this."_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

Ah, the awkward first date jitters. This was fun to write, considering how I consider myself the master of all moments awkward and uncomfortable. Two more chapters left but I know it's going to take forever to update because it's that time of the year (meaning a whole load of testing and stuffs). I have this new-ish (it was new when i started drafting this chapter, but by now it's old news) Grimmichi fic out called "Wings of Steel" so check it out if you're into (sorta) steampunk, fantasy stories.


	6. Day 3, part 2

**DAY THREE: (cont.d)**

_2:30 PM- Mangacon_

_'Alright. First floor, main square, center,'_ Ichigo thought as he read the signs on the walls._ 'What the hell am I supposed to be looking-'_

He stopped cold in front of the makeshift stage which advertised words that he genuinely wished he was mis-reading: "Peroxide Character Lookalike Contest."

"Oh, _hell_ no."

"Oh, there he is!" Tatsuki came running up to him with Orihime and Renji in tow. "Where the hell were you? We've been looking everywhere for you! We even checked that yaoi panel thingy and we didn't see you there!"

"Hahahahaha, oh, you see, it's kinda a funny story-"

"No time! Strip now, talk later!"

"Oh, no. No no no no no no no!" Ichigo backed away, shaking his head. "I'm not doing it and you can't force me! I don't even have the clothes ready!"

Tatsuki laughed triumphantly. "Sucks for you, because _we _have your clothes ready!"

Ichigo cursed. He needed to learn to forbid Rukia from reserving the rooms for them. The woman always ended up getting unnecessary copies of their room keys. _'Just in case_', she would say. _'More like, 'just in case she needs to break into our rooms and steal out clothes to threaten us to enter some stupid contest so she can fangirl over some stupid manga artist',' _he scowled.

"Don't make us threaten you," Orihime said, putting up her fists in a boxing stance.

The orange-head snorted. "Inoue, I could hardly find you threatening, you're too-"

"HI-YAH!"

"Wha- did you just punch me?" He rubbed his throbbing arm. Why yes, yes she did.

"I-I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, but I really want to meet Kite Tubo-sensei too," she said meekly. "So, strip! Please?"

He was about to protest when he caught the hopeful faces of his friends. Ichigo sighed. They really wanted this, didn't they? Afterall, Rukia has been going on and on about meeting the esteemed mangaka since she first picked up a volume of _Peroxide_. Hell, they had to if they were actually planning to sic _Inoue_ on him. And if they wanted this so badly he couldn't be so selfish to deny them of that, however small the chances of his win might be, could he?

'_Damn this thing called Conscience,'_ he thought with a scowl. With a frustrated exhalation and a deep sense of premonition of _something_, Ichigo nodded.

* * *

><p><em>2:47 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Alright, bitches, I'm here. Whaddaya want?"

Szayel rolled his eyes. "For starters, you could clean up that toilet you call a mouth," he adjusted his white-rimmed glasses, "and I think you'll be curbing that attitude of yours when you see what we've done for you."

Nodding, Starrk yawned, "Yeah, it took us the whole night to organize. I lost sleep for you."

"You liar," Harribel smiled and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "You lost sleep for another perfectly good reason," she said slyly.

Grimmjow raised his eyebrow. "Alright, so? What is it? Are you going to tell me some time in this lifetime?"

Gin chuckled. "Mah, mah. Look's like someone here sure is impatient." He looped his arm in the blue-haired man's and led him to the front row in a row of seats. Pushing Grimmjow down to his seat, he grinned. "Now why don't you just sit back, and enjoy the show," Gin said as he gestured to the large poster hanging on the stage before them.

Blue eyes grew as they read the poster. "'Peroxide Character Lookalike Contest, the winner and a select group of friends gets to meet Kite Tubo-sensei, the mangaka behind the hit shounen manga, _Peroxide_'? WHAT!"

"Ta-da!" his friends cheered. "We did this all for you! This way, you can have your pick of Hogo's all in the comfort and convenience of a contest."

"And," Nel gestured grandly, "no one will ever know what you're really up to so there's none of that awkward rejection!"

"Like speed dating!" Gin said.

Ulquiorra nodded. "But anonymous."

Harribel smiled at the shell-shocked bluenette. "We've been planning this since yesterday afternoon. It took us the whole night but it is definitely going to be worth it when you find your guy."

"So? How do you like it?"

"I-I don't know what to say," Grimmjow said slowly. He was touched that his friends would go through all this trouble for him, but he also felt guilty for not telling them that he already had Ichigo and didn't need to look anymore. But if he told them that now, they would kill him and he already felt like enough of an asshole for hiding it from them. _'That damn Ulquiorra couldn't just let them know?!' _He caught the smug little smirk on the fucker's face and he knew that Ulquiorra wanted him to fix this on his own. He hissed, much like his cat, Pantera. _'You bastard.' _

Now, he would have to go out with the winner of the contest and reveal his identity as Kite Tubo. To some complete stranger that was probably an obsessed fanboy.

Nnoitra put his hand around the mangaka's shoulder. "A 'thank you' sounds 'bout right."

"Thanks," Grimmjow said to the beaming faces of his friends with a heavy feeling in his gut.

* * *

><p><em>3:00 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Ladies and gentlemen, otakus and nerds of all kinds, welcome to the first ever Peroxide character lookalike contest!" A loud, chirpy girl with pigtails and some frilly skirt, hat/box thing cheered into the microphone. The crowd gathering by the stage cheered and clapped. The girl winked and jutted out her hips, "My name is Riruka, and I will be the host of this competition! Are you _readyyyyy?_" The people went wild.

"And now, let me annouce the judges," she paused dramatically, "it's... a secret! That's right, there are judges anonymously placed within the audience, and one of them," Riruka said with a gasp, "is Kite Tubo-sensei, creater of the amazingly popular hit shounen manga, _Peroxide_!" The crowd whooped and applauded again, some of them looking around curiously trying to see if they could spot the elusive mangaka. "In order to protect their identities, we will only be communicating with them via," she waved a cellphone at the crowd, "text!"

Grimmjow tuned her out as Riruka went on to explain the rules of the contest but he had to admit that Nel had put together a pretty good job organizing this.

"... and the best Hogo cosplayer gets to meet Kite Tubo-sensei in person! Without further ado, let's bring out our contestants!"

Gin nudged Grimmjow in the ribs eagerly and grinned. Grimmjow scowled and pushed away the pointy elbow. He didn't want to keep watching but Grimmjow didn't bother turning around because he knew he was surrounded by his friends and their shit-eating grins.

"And here is contestant number 15- Oooooh, here's a _cute_ one!" Riruka cooed. "Hey there, cutie-pie. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

An embarrassed cough later, a voice spoke into the microphone. "Uh, hi- everyone. I'm going for Hogo Haisaki-"

Huh. Grimmjow frowned. This voice sure sounded familiar.

"-and my name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

Grimmjow looked up, right into a pair of stunned brown eyes.

"Ichigo?!"

* * *

><p><em>3:02 PM- Mangacon<em>

Riruka grinned at him, "Well, well, Ichigo. Are you confident in your win?"

He said something, he couldn't remember what, to make her go away. Ichigo had bigger concerns right now. His brown eyes were locked with a familiar blue pair. He couldn't stop staring at the man.

_'Oh my god, that's Grimmjow!' _That blue hair and impressive six-pack... no doubt about it. _'What the hell is he doing here?'_

"If it doesn't work out, meet me backstage later. I'll give you my number," the girl said away from the mike. Winking, she moved on to the next contestant.

Furiously blushing, Ichigo looked down at his sandal clad feet. Whatever he said, it must not have worked. But holy crap, what was Grimmjow doing here? _'I mean, I knew he was a Peroxide fan but I didn't expect him to come to the contest. Oh no, what if he thinks I blew him off for the contest? I mean- I _did_ blow him off for the contest but I didn't know!' _The orange-haired man flushed. He hoped Grimmjow wouldn't be mad.

* * *

><p><em>3:03 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Ichigo..." Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "You mean _that_ Ichigo?"

Grimmjow nodded, replying quietly in fear of the others overhearing. "What is he _doing_ here? Is this what he left our date early for?"

Ulquiorra hummed noncommittally, green eyes surveying the litter of auburn-hued people on stage. "He really does look an awful lot like Hogo. He might really win this thing."

Blue eyes widened.

The paler man turned to Grimmjow. "And judging by that idiotic expression on your face, I'll just assume that you haven't thought that far yet."

"Hey, shaddup. I didn't even know he was in this thing until three seconds ago," Grimmjow snapped. He ran a hand through his hair. "Just- wow. He- he really might find out who I really am."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, it's- I don't know. You guys are the only ones who know. I don't know if I want anyone else to know."

Ulquiorra crossed his arms. "So if you continued to date him, and continued for a couple years, you would still choose to hide this from him? Don't you think he would start wondering after a while?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Or do you just not like him enough?" Green eyes matched his blue ones gravely. "Did you only choose him because he looks like Hogo?"

"No!" Lowering his voice again, Grimmjow continued, "Look, I know that's why I first approached him, but that's not why I like him. He's not just a pretty face to me."

"Isn't he?"

"No, you dickhole. Let me finish," the bluenette glared. "He's smart. And funny. And he loves his friends and family- he'd do anything for them. And he's stubborn, but only because he has the best intentions. He likes to act like a tough guy and he's always scowling but he's never really mad."

"And how do you know all this? You've known him for what, one day?"

"_Three._ And I know because Ichigo told me a lot about himself. Like," the mangaka starts counting off with his fingers, "I know that he's nineteen, a sophomore at Seireitei University studying medicine so that he can follow in his father's footsteps and continue the family trade. He came here with his friends and they're all cosplaying as Peroxide characters. He's an older brother to a pair of twin sisters. He has been practicing karate for years, been on various sports teams but his favorite is-"

"He has told you some rather personal information. He must like you a lot to tell you all that about himself."

"Yeah," Grimmjow grinned. "Yeah, I guess he does."

"And what did you tell him about you?"

"I... I told him that I'm also here with friends and we're also cosplaying as Peroxide characters. And that I'm twenty-one."

"And?"

"And that yes, this is my real hair."

Ulquiorra's expression spoke volumes.

"... Okay, so that's all he really knows about me. So what?" The blunette crossed his arms. "He did most of the talking, anyway. Stop pyschoanalyzing me, you psychologist-wannabe!"

Ulquiorra sighed, resisting the urge to smack the idiot over the head. "Listen, Grimmjow. You like him. You are completely smitten and I haven't seen you like this in, well, ever. And it is palpable that he likes you too. So what exactly is the problem?"

The mangaka frowned and looked away. Sure, Ulquiorra could say that Ichigo liked him, but what proof was there? And even if Ichigo did like him, that didn't change the fact that he had bailed on their date to compete in this ridiculous competition. And potential boyfriend or not, Grimmjow wasn't ready to tell just anyone his secret identity.

"Would you rather have one of those crazy fanboys find out instead of your precious Ichigo and spread it all over the Internet?"

He hated it when Ulquiorra was right. Grimmjow scoffed, "No."

"Then when it comes time to choose a winner, choose him."

"Don't tell me what to do. Asshole."

* * *

><p><em>4:17 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Alright. So we've met all our contestants, and now it's time to deliberate. Which one of these lucky contestants will get the chance meeting with the ever elusive Kite Tubo-sensei?" People in the crowd started to cheer and call out the names of their favorites. As if right on cue, the phone in Riruka's hand started to ring. The pig-tailed girl opened the message and grinned. "Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have made a decision and we have a winner. And the winner is..."

_'Please be Ichigo. Please be Ichigo. Please be Ichigo,' _Grimmjow chanted in his head. He and Ulquiorra had voted for Ichigo and had also tried to talk the others into doing the same but he had no idea who his friends had really gone with in the end.

_'Please be Ichigo. Please be Ichigo. Please be Ichigo,' _Rukia prayed to the powers that be. She didn't come all this way, work this hard, and harass Ichigo this much just to _not_ get to meet the creator behind Peroxide.

_'I just want to leave already,' _Ichigo thought as Riruka threw him yet another not-so-subtle and not-so-attractive flirty smile. Not to mention that he caught Grimmjow staring at him a couple times during the competition and he really wanted to explain.

* * *

><p><em>4:29 PM- Mangacon<em>

"Great costume, dude."

"Hey, congrats, man."

Ichigo nodded at the strangers, "Thanks," as he tried to make his way through the crowd. Damn, why were there still so many people hanging around? Squinting, he tiptoed and squinted, trying to catch sight of a moving blue-haired target. Damn it, of all days to forget to wear his contacts.

When he last saw Grimmjow, he was on stage and the handsome potential-boyfriend had been seated in the front row but he thought he had seen someone with blue hair leaving by one of the columns in the back, cleverly steering clear of the moshpit crowd. After Riruka dragged him backstage and dropped off two phone numbers with him (one was hers, the other was the number she kept recieving texts from during the contest), he hurried back out but Grimmjow was already gone.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime squealed and glomped him. "You did it!"

Rukia smirked. "Of course, he did. We made him an excellent replica."

"Hey, guys. I'm kinda busy right now. Can I get back to you when I'm done?"

"Hmph," Ishida pushed his glasses up. "So he wins a little contest and suddenly he thinks he's too important for us."

"No."

Everyone looked at Chad, and one look from him shut them up.

"Go ahead Ichigo," the quiet giant said. "We're meeting up at Chiyo's Pizza at 8:30 for dinner. Just find us there."

_'Thank Kami for Chad,' _Ichigo thought. Nodding quickly, he threw himself into the crowd again. He would explain to his friends later; they would understand and forgive him. They all knew how long he had been waiting for this day.

A head of blue hair peeked out over the crowd. Ichigo perked up and raced forward, reaching for his hand. "Grimmjow!"

The man (who, now that Ichigo was facing him, was _not_ Grimmjow) grinned. Rows of gleaming sharp teeth revealed themselves. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

"Oh, I- I'm sorry," Ichigo stammered and quickly let go of the stranger's hand. "I thought you were someone else."

"Nah, nah. Don't be, cutie." The blue-ish haired guy (because now that Ichigo was within seeing distance, he could see that this guy had much paler hair than Grimmjow's) draped an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. "The name's Suigetsu."

"Ichigo," he replied. "Sorry about that- I'll just get going now," Ichigo tried to move away to no avail.

Suigetsu smirked and tightened his hold, "That's cute. What are you in such a rush for? Come and hang with me for a bit."

"Wow, I'd love to-"

_'Not really.'_

"-But I have to meet up with someone now," Ichigo said, prying off the arm around him. "So thanks but no thanks."

"Oh?" Suigetsu followed Ichigo as the orange-head tried to walk away. "A friend... Alright, I don't mind. The more the merrier!"

Damn, this guy was persistent. Turning around, Ichigo snapped, "Okay, fine. _I _mind."

"Hey, hey. No need to to get jealous." The increasingly irksome stranger chuckled and slipped a hand around Ichigo's waist. "I promise that I'll only have eyes for you."

"Looks like he's not interested."

Both Ichigo and Suigetsu looked to the source of the intrusion.

"Grimmjow?"

The blue-haired man, the one he was actually looking for, was standing just a few feet away from them with his arms crossed and jaw set. Definitely close enough to have heard Suigetsu.

"Whoa," Suigetsu put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Hey, look, I'm sorry. I didn't know you guys were together. I'll just... leave now."

"Finally," Ichigo muttered as the stranger backed away into a crowd. "Grimmjow, I've been looking everywhere for you! Look, I need to explain-"

"No need. I get it."

The orange-head exhaled, relief taking place of the tension that just left his body. "Really? Oh, thank god. Okay, so- wait, Grimmjow. Where are you going? Grimmjow!" He ran after the retreating figure of the blue haired man.

"Grimmjow, stop. What's wrong?"

Stop he did, and so did Ichigo when he caught sight of the burning fury in the man's eyes. He instinctively recoiled at the look on Grimmjow's face.

"Look, if you don't like me, fine! That's the way you feel and that's the way it is. But to lie to me like that?" Grimmjow shook his head, disappointment etched onto his features. "I thought you were above that. Clearly, I was wrong. If you don't like me, you should have told me that instead of faking an emergency in the middle of our date. I mean, what the fuck, man!"

"Wha- but I didn't!"

"No?" The bluenette crossed his arms over his (very bare, and very muscled) chest. "So that wasn't you I saw up there on stage?"

"Well, no, that was me but-"

"Then you do like me?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Except winning the contest and meeting Kite Tubo was more important than me," Grimmjow said flatly.

"Yes- wait, no! No, it was _definitely_ not more important than you!" Ichigo cursed himself for getting so flustered and confused. "I swear, I only left because I thought it was an emergency! I had no idea that my friends signed me up for that contest!"

"Yeah, sure, you didn't."

"I didn't! Just, damn it-" Ichigo was going to punch something, he really was. "I _really_ like you and even though you make me nervous, it's the good kind of nervous, you know? And I wouldn't have left if I knew what my friends were really up to because I wanted to spend more time with you- no, I _still_ want to spend more time with you because in those few minutes or hours that I catch with you, you make me feel so _happy_ and, and god damn it, I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry that I'm an idiot and my friends are idiots and that we're all so extra idiotic when we hang out. _Sorry_."

Ichigo inhaled and waited for Grimmjow's reply. Though, honestly, he had no idea if Grimmjow even heard a word of what he said. The teal haired man had just stood there, staring at him, making him feel incredibly guilty and small without even speaking. And he still hadn't said a word, why wasn't he saying anything?

"Grimmjow, please, I'm sorry! I mean it. I won't meet Kite Tubo if it will prove anything."

That certainly got his attention. "Wait, what?"

"I'm serious. If you do not want me to meet Kite Tubo to prove to you that you are more important to me, then fine. I won't meet him."

Rukia and the girls would hang him by his balls if they knew what heinous treachery he had just committed but damn it, Ichigo didn't care about that right now. They could do what they want to him and it would still be worth it as long as Grimmjow was willing to forgive him.

Blue eyes honed onto his searchingly. Though what exactly Grimmjow was searching for, Ichigo did not know. It felt like every second was a lifetime and yet somehow, an eternity of lifetimes of agonizing wait was preferable to hearing Grimmjow possibly reject him.

Finally, the taller man sighed. "Okay," Grimmjow said.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

Urgh, Grimmjow is really OOC. My apologies, my lovelies. And damn it, I've been spelling Szayel's name wrong this whole time! I kept spelling it as "Syazel". And pronouncing it that way. Geezies, I'm embarrassed. I fixed it in all the chapters of Picture Perfect but not Random Acts since I plan to rewrite that anyway. Now, epilogue left and then, finito!

Sorry I have been slow with updates lately, it is a really busy time right now. Between my social life, school stuff, all my old projects and new projects (I am now obsessed with the Morgan/Reid fandom of Criminal Minds, and I have started a livejournal account under the username "RemnantsCarnate" with a friend), I probably won't be able to update much (for any of my stories) until November or January.


	7. Day 3, part 3

A "thank you" to **IILesGeMeAuxII **for reminding me very nicely to update this (which I took forever to do anyway). You are such a sweet fan. :)

* * *

><p><strong>DAY THREE: (cont.d)<strong>

_4:42 PM- Mangacon_

"Okay," Grimmjow said.

"Okay?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yeah, okay, I don't want you to meet him."

"Sure," Ichigo nodded, "No problem. In fact," he dug around his pockets and lit up when he found a scrap of paper. "Here!" He handed Grimmjow the piece of paper. "That's the number they gave me. It's Kite Tubo's. We were supposed to contact one another with it, but I don't need it now."

The blue-haired mangaka accepted the piece of paper. The paper read back to him a familiar set of numbers. Nel.

Grimmjow let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He didn't think Ichigo was serious when he offered to not meet Kite Tubo but he could see the sincerity in the kid's eyes. Part of him was guilty for taking advantage of Ichigo's feelings for him and for taking the easy way out, but the larger and more skeptical part of him was thinking, "To hell with that!"

"So..." The mangaka's head snapped up when Ichigo spoke again. "I _was _planning on meeting the _Peroxide_ creator tonight but now that I have no plans... do you maybe want to go to dinner with me?"

Was the kid serious? Grimmjow looked at the other man, who earnestly faced him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I would love to."

"Cool. It's a date then."

* * *

><p><em>5:42 PM- Hotel, room 613 (Grimmjow, Gin's room)<em>

"You pussy."

Grimmjow sighed. "Look, he gave me a choice and I took it. That's the whole basis of giving people choices! He did so, fully knowing what I could very well choose."

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Pussy."

Grimmjow exhaled through gritted teeth and continued digging through his luggage for a pair of jeans. He knew he attracted attention in his Grimshaw costume, but he wanted to look good and classy for his date. There were times for exposing his abs and there were times to not.

"I don't get it. One second, you're so ready to tell him and to take a leap of faith in your relationship. The next thing you know, you're backing out faster than Gin when he ran over that raccoon in your driveway."

"Well, what do you want me to do? It's just like you said: I've known the guy for three days. I mean, yeah, I like him and I think we could end up having a real relationship here, but I'm not going to tell him until I'm ready."

"And if you're never ready?"

"Then I guess I'll never tell him."

Ulquiorra stared blankly at him. "Am I the only one here that hears the gaps in your logic?"

"I _know_ what you're saying, okay? I get it! I just want to do things my way!"

"_'Your way_'," Ulquiorra repeated with sarcasm. "How's that working out for you?"

"It's _fine_, if you must know. Absolutely fucking awesome."

"Awesome, huh? So everything we did for you today counts for nothing? We spent the whole day running around setting up this contest for nothing? We spent all this time worrying about you and if you would ever find someone who could put up with you, all for _nothing_?"

"No one told you guys to do all that! I never asked you to! I appreciate your sentiment, but I'm a grown man and I can take care of myself. I don't need you and the rest of them meddling in my life and trying to fix what isn't broken! This is my life, my _double_ life, and if any one should be calling the shots, it's gonna be me!"

"_Fine_." The shorter man glared at his idiot best friend. "Fine. If you want to ruin this for yourself, that is fine with me. Just don't come whining to me later when this Ichigo guy dumps your ass and, once again, you're all alone with nothing to keep you company but your goddamn secret!"

He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Grimmjow tightened his grip on his jeans and wordlessly began changing for his date.

* * *

><p><em>6:30 PM- Neji Ramen<em>

Ichigo drummed his fingers against the table nervously. He had arrived earlier than Grimmjow so he went ahead and got a table first. He hoped the other man was really not mad at him anymore. Their first date, albeit a little awkward at first, went quite well until he had to leave which was, of course, when everything went downhill. This time, Ichigo was determined to make things go right.

He checked his watch again. Grimmjow was running a little late. No problem...

Unless that meant that he was being stood up.

'_No, Ichigo, calm down! Get a hold of yourself! People run late all the time. Cut the guy some slack, he's only five or ten minutes late.' _Ichigo nodded to himself and took in a deep breath.

_'You're right, you're right. Breathe, just breathe. Everything is going to be okay. Grimmjow isn't passive aggressive like that. No, if he was still upset, he would have made it very clear.' _The orange-haired man smiled at the thought of his date.

_'Yeah, Grimmjow's great like that. Straight-forward and honest. It's so refreshing to be with someone who isn't playing mind games with you every other second.' _Ichigo mentally nodded and scowled, remembering his last boyfriend.

_'Don't go there, Ichigo. Don't you think about that asshole Kaien.' _Ichigo shook his head, as if to shake away the thoughts of the dark-haired man but it was too late. A fierce scowl marred his face as memories of how the two-faced liar charmed his way into Ichigo's heart by pretending to be an all-around good guy filled his mind. All the while, Kaien was cheating on his girlfriend (a nice girl called Miyako) with Ichigo.

_'And to think that you never would have caught on if Rukia hadn't ratted him out the moment he tried to put the moves on her.' _Ichigo sighed. At least he had gotten revenge on the bastard. He and Renji beat Kaien up so hard he wouldn't have been able to walk for a week and kicked him in the family jewels hard enough for each little jolt of pain to leave him immobile and regretful for weeks. And Rukia had keyed his car beyond recognition.

Hopefully, that would teach the bastard from flirting around left and right. _'It's such a shame that Miyako forgave him for all that. She's too damn nice for her own good.' _Well, at least something good did come out of it. Renji finally realized that if he didn't man up some shmuck would woo Rukia off her feet, and found the courage to ask her out. Rukia, finally realizing that Renji liked her more than as a friend, said yes. And that was all she wrote for the two.

_'Yes,'_ he nodded. _'I guess that fiasco was worth it if those two got together. Lord only knows how long it would have taken them if Kaien didn't come between them.'_

A pretty dark-haired waitress walked by and gave Ichigo an odd look. Ichigo grinned through his embarrassment and quickly looked away.

_'Alright, you really have to stop spacing off like this, Ichigo. I thought we talked about this. If anyone heard you thinking to yourself, they would think you're crazy.'_

_'Well then, it's a good thing I don't know any mind readers.'_

Ichigo couldn't argue with that line of logic. He was so sassy sometimes.

'_Besides, how else am I supposed to entertain myself while waiting for Mr. Tall, Blue, and Handsome? Speaking of which, where is he? Oh, wait, speak of the devil.'_

Ichigo lit up when he saw the blue haired man entering the restaurant and waved him over.

_'Man, does he look good.' _

Grimmjow was wearing a white t-shirt under a black leather jacket, a pair of skinny jeans over his black high-tops, and a million-watt smile on his gorgeous face.

He sat down with a sheepish expression. "Sorry, I know I'm late. I got in a fight with a friend of mine and, well, yeah. You weren't waiting long, were you?"

"Uh, no, not really. I kept myself entertained. What was the fight about?"

Grimmjow hummed. "It's kind of a long story so I'll just give you the abridged version. He and the rest of my friends kept meddling in my life, trying to make all these decisions for me. I get that they're concerned but it's _my_ life, you know? If anyone knows what I should be doing, it's me."

Ichigo nodded, thinking about his own friends, "Yeah, tell me about it. They think they've got us all figured out and want to baby us. I know they care, but they've got to let us live our own life and make our own mistakes."

"Exactly!" Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "They're always sticking their hands into my business. They're my best friends; they are already this huge part of my life, so why can't I have a little bit of my life to myself?"

"Right, totally! We all have our secrets. If we really wanted them to know, we would tell them without them asking us about it. If they have to ask, it means we don't want them to get involved." Ichigo shrugged. "People should just respect secrecy and privacy."

"Finally, someone who gets it!" Grimmjow grinned, "Sorry, I'm just ranting now. Anyway, let's order."

* * *

><p><em>9:26 PM- A few blocks away from Mangacon and between the hotel<em>

Ichigo couldn't wipe the smile of his face. This date was going perfectly. He and Grimmjow had chatted amiably over dinner and really connected. And any silences there were, were comfortable and not at all awkward. A really good omen of the way this relationship was progressing, was that Grimmjow had apparently planned for the two of the them to return to Mangacon to catch a screening of some old yet popular anime movie.

The movie turned out to be some cheesy romance thing but they had fun mocking the corny, scripted lines. Not that the rabid fangirls and otakus around them had appreciated their sense of humor but screw that.

At Grimmjow's request, the two were walking from the manga convention to the hotel through a longer route, now falling into one of their comfortable silences.

Ichigo sighed with contentment. Everything just seemed so... _great._ The lazy summer night. The crazy but fun past few days with his friends. The gorgeous guy walking beside him. It made him giddy to think that someone like Grimmjow would want to spend so much time with him, as if he couldn't get enough of his orange haired self.

At first he wondered if maybe it was foolish of him to reject meeting Kite Tubo for some guy he barely knew, but this date confirmed that this date was worth it. Grimmjow was worth it. Rukia and Orihime could bitch at him all they wanted for missing that opportunity, but Ichigo was glad that he had missed that chance for this even better one.

A large, calloused hand clumsily bumped into his, before slipping into a firm grasp.

Startled, Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, who refused to make any eye contact. But the dim streetlights revealed the slight pink dusting across the taller man's cheekbones, and Ichigo smiled widely before squeezing that foreign hand back most eagerly.

He had to correct himself; _now, _everything was perfect.

"Ichigo..."

Ichigo looked at his date. "Yeah?"

Grimmjow paused, appearing to be fumbling for the right words before he settled for a simple: "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Sighing, Grimmjow ran his free hand through his hair. "It's just- I know I've been coming across as really controlling and I want to apologize for that. I shouldn't have told you not to meet with Kite Tubo. It was wrong of me to decide that for you. You really are a great guy and if anything, I should consider myself lucky that you put up with my crap and even wanted to go out with me after I forced that decision upon you."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that. "I wouldn't say you_ forced_ me to make that decision. I mean, I did offer for a reason. But if you feel so bad about it, why did you tell me not to meet him?"

"It's... complicated. I guess I just had to know that I could trust you."

"And? Can you?" Ichigo faced him and pulled the two of them to a stop. Without even noticing it, they had reached the hotel. The tone of his voice commanded Grimmjow to meet his eyes. "Look, the last relationship I had crumbled because of trust issues. So if I can't trust you, or if you can't trust me, I need to know now."

The blue haired man had gone from reluctantly hesitant to deathly silent (and not one of the nice lulls of conversation like from before) which was unnerving the crap out of Ichigo.

"_Can you?_"

Grimmjow met his eyes without challenge. He wordlessly pulled his hand out of Ichigo's grip (causing Ichigo to silently panic) before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. He put it into Ichigo's open palm and wrapped his fingers around it.

Grimmjow smiled ruefully and put his hand on Ichigo's cheek in a tender caress one wouldn't think was possible of a man so brash. His thumb softly brushed against the high cheek bone and he leaned in to give the younger man a kiss so gentle it made Ichigo feel like he was being handled like a snowflake cradled by gloved hands.

He squeezed his shoulder affectionately before heading into the hotel, leaving Ichigo alone to ponder this new development.

Ichigo opened his hand and unfolded the piece of paper. The phone number on the paper stared back at him. Ichigo frowned. He had assumed Grimmjow tossed this out. Why would Grimmjow take the number away from him, only to hold on to it?

He pulled out his phone and typed in the appropriate numbers before sending out a text.

-**Hi. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I won the Peroxide Character Lookalike Contest today and was told I could contact this number to meet Kite Tubo-sensei.-**

A few moments later, his phone beeped with an incoming text.**  
><strong>

**-Hello, Ichigo. This is Kite Tubo. Can you meet me 10:00 tonight? Cafe Kabuto?-**

Ichigo frowned and checked the time on his phone. Ten o' clock was cutting it a little close but he supposed he could make it.

**-No problem. See you then.-**

* * *

><p><em>9:53 PM- Cafe Kabuto<em>

Pushing open the door to the cafe, Ichigo checked his phone and sighed. _'Good, I've still got a few minutes.'_

He got a table and ordered a cup of hot tea. No coffee because he would be having enough trouble sleeping tonight as it is. (_'Thanks a lot, Grimmjow.')_

Ichigo pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to the mysterious mangaka- soon to be less mysterious.

**-Just got to the cafe. I'm at a table by the windows, and I'm wearing a red plaid shirt and gray jeans.-**

The tea arrived and Ichigo cupped it and let the warmth seep into his fingers. Thick tendrils of steam rose from the cup and Ichigo inhaled the soothing scent. His phone vibrated with the incoming text.

**-K. Sorry, it's taking me a while to get there. I should be there in a few minutes. I'll be wearing a black jacket over a white shirt.-**

**-No problem. Take your time, I can wait.-**

Ichigo drummed his fingers against the table. With nothing to do but wait, Ichigo's mind began to wander. And what else would it wander to but Grimmjow?

Ichigo sighed. He had no idea what to make of Grimmjow. Their date had been perfect in every which way until Grimmjow had gotten all weird and started talking about trust. Ichigo really hoped that whatever it was that made Grimmjow so suspicious, would quickly be resolved because he really liked the confident blue-haired man and it would suck hairy balls if their relationship ended before it even started.

He couldn't remember being this happy in quite some time. Not even when he going out with Kaien.

It was kind of ridiculous to think that some guy he knew for three days could be the cause of his new outlook, but Ichigo couldn't help it. Grimmjow had shown up in his life suddenly and completely ensnared him in his net. He couldn't _unsee_ the blue haired man once he first laid eyes on him. It was like Grimmjow was a virus that infiltrated his system and entirely rewrote his programming so that it could only center around one thing, that one thing being Grimmjow.

Ichigo was falling hard for him. It was a long, dizzying free-fall that made his stomach fly up to his throat and heart flutter, and Ichigo didn't know if it was even possible to catch himself because from the moment once he tipped over head over heels for the other man, Ichigo knew he was a goner.

"Ahem."

Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts and turned to whoever was standing behind him.

Grimmjow grinned at him sheepishly with his hands in his jeans pockets. He was still in the same leather and high tops as-

_'Wait a second. __Kite Tubo said he would be wearing a black jacket over a white shirt.'_

Ichigo stared blankly at the blue haired man.

In a black leather jacket.

And a white t-shirt.

Oh.

_Oh._

_OHHHHH!_

Grimmjow cleared his throat again and Ichigo realized he was spacing off again.

"So, um... Hi." Grimmjow offered up a grin which quickly melted off his face at the sight of Ichigo's expression. He quickly shut up and took a seat across the scowling man.

"Well, well, _well._" Ichigo crossing his arms over his chest. "Fancy meeting _you_ here."

Grimmjow chuckled nervously. "Surprised?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and held Grimmjow's gaze, which the other man proudly kept despite his growing discomfort.

It felt like an eternity until finally, Ichigo sighed and uncrossed his arms and took a sip of his tea. "Actually, I'm not. You have a funny way of showing up when I least expect you to."

Grimmjow smiled awkwardly, taking the words to be forgiveness. "That makes me feel like some sort of stalker."

Ichigo finally cracked a smile. "That's not what I was going for at all." He looked away for a second and mumbled more to himself than to Grimmjow, "Maybe it's just destiny."

Grimmjow reached over the table and held Ichigo's hand. "Or maybe, all this time, I've been searching for someone like you."

Ichigo grinned and squeezed his hand.

"Then I guess you found me."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong>

So on top of being too busy to update, there's another reason why it took so long to get this chapter out. The thing is, before I write a story, I plan. I make outlines. I add lotsa details to the outlines. But last chapter, as I was writing, I got to the end and it's like the story kind of wrote itself... I wrote myself into a dead-end because Ichigo was NOT supposed to say that he would give up on meeting Kite Tubo but he did, because I ignore rules even when they're my rules. It's the life of a rebel. Anyhow, one last chapter and we are done! (I'm a liar, I have to stop telling people how many chapters are left.)

Hey, hey. If I have any readers out there who like magical stories and stuffs, I have started an original story in livejournal under the username "RemnantsCarnate" (with a friend) called "Justification." Please check it out and leave a comment or two.


	8. Epilogue

Many thanks to **IILesGeMeAuxII** for being my cheerleader for this fic! Without you, this story would be coming along even more slowly than it was this whole time.

* * *

><p><strong>FIVE YEARS LATER:<strong>

_1:47 PM- Las Noches University_

Ichigo yawned and stretched as he made his way out of the building. The sun was bright and shining and after three grueling years in medical school, Ichigo couldn't get used to being let out this early. Dr. Urahara was still on his honeymoon so all his Neuroanatomy classes had been cancelled until his return. And all Biochemistry classes were put on hold for a week until the university could find a room that could take all the damage that comes with Professor Mayuri's lessons.

He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Ichigo sighed. Well, he supposed he did always have those piles of homework waiting for him at home.

He turned the corner, where a familiar blue truck and blue eyed vision greeted him.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo smiled with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The blue haired man grinned and unlocked the car doors. "I knew your classes were ending early today, so I figured I might as well pick you up. You know. Being the good boyfriend that I am, and all."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and slid into the passenger seat. He pulled on his seatbelt and grinned at his lover. "Thanks," he said with a quick peck on the lips. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, I just wanted to. I was never able to do this back when you were studying at Karakura U." Life was so much more convenient for the two ever since Ichigo started medical school at Las Noches University three years ago and moved into Grimmjow's apartment. "Besides, if I don't show up now and then, some idiot's going to get the wrong idea and try to make a move on you."

Ichigo smirked. "Aw. Look who's being all jealous and cute. You know there's only enough room in my life for one idiot."

Grimmjow glared at him and Ichigo just laughed at the sulky pout on his face before kissing it away. Five years since they had first met and Grimmjow hadn't changed one bit.

"So where to?"

The car started with a low purr. "I have a meeting with Aizen at 5 so I was thinking we could just go home for now for a late lunch. Nel and Nnoi might be joining us later to drop off their honeymoon souvenirs."

"Hm, sounds good." Ichigo sat back in the car seat comfortably. "Oh! Don't forget - we're meeting up with the whole gang for dinner."

Grimmjow groaned. "Nooooo, I don't wanna!"

"Don't be a baby. It's all for you anyway."

"I don't give a shit," he frowned. He clutched the steering wheel as he turned the corner. "Hey, do you want to call them up and cancel?"

"No."

"Why not? Just tell them that we're busy. Or sick. Or dead."

Ichigo sighed. "It's just dinner. A couple hours of human interaction with your closest friends, instead of being holed up in the apartment with toner ink and the cats.

"I have you. I don't need anyone else."

"As sweet and cheesy as that is, you need to get out more. Going to the store to buy cat food and instant ramen doesn't count. I don't even see what you're making such a big fuss about."

"I just don't get why we have to celebrate with everyone when the two of us can celebrate alone. I haven't been alone with you in ages!"

Ichigo felt a little guilty because he knew it was true. Between his classes and homework, and Grimmjow's two series, they didn't get to spend more than an hour each other every day. They only had time for a quick meal together and a few words (or maybe a bit of making out) before Ichigo had to go to school again, or Grimmjow's caffeine rushes crashed and left him asleep for the next few days.

That was actually why they decided to move in together, since even that one hour was valuable time spent and they didn't want to waste any of it traveling between Grimmjow's apartment and Ichigo's dorm. Even if the two of them were too busy (Ichigo studying, Grimmjow sketching, or one/both of them sleeping like they were dead) with their own lives while at home to actually do anything together, at least the two of them were in the same place and they could see each other whenever they looked up. It was depressing, but it was worth it.

"... We can do some celebrating by ourselves afterwards. If you go to the dinner."

Grimmjow stared at his lover in horror. "You - augh! The day has come when Ichigo Kurosaki uses sex as a weapon."

"I wouldn't have to if it didn't work so well."

"Augh, fine, fine. You win."

Ichigo grinned and leaned over to kiss Grimmjow at a red light. "I always win."

* * *

><p><em>6:52 PM - Le Restaurant de Ibiki<em>

Nel stood up and tapped her fork against her glass, calling the attention of the table to her. "Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming today to my beloved idiot brother's celebration." She pretended she didn't notice Grimmjow rolling his eyes. "Eight years ago, a hopeful young man sent his manuscript to _Shounen Jump_, thinking he would never succeed but it was worth a shot. Much to his surprise, he was called in for a talk with the editors.

"Grimmjow couldn't believe it, but the rest of us could. We always knew that behind his giant ego, he was capable of great things, which is why eight years later, in present day, we aren't surprised that _Peroxide_ is now the number one internationally best-selling manga. He may be a successful manga artist now, but to us, we'll always know him as an arrogant moron who acts before he thinks and really loves cats.

"To Grimmjow," she raised a glass to him.

Grimmjow smiled as everyone at the table - Nel, Nnoitra, Gin, Szayel, Ulquiorra, Halibel, Starrk, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Chad, Tatsuki, Ishida, Orihime, Toshirou, even Byakuya and Aizen (his annoying but admittedly helpful editor) - raised their glasses. "To Grimmjow," they repeated.

He remembered being apprehensive about telling Ichigo's friends who he really was, but imagine his surprise when it turned out, he already knew a few of them. Who knew that Ulquiorra's boyfriend, Toshirou, was actually one of Ichigo's best friends, or that the CEO of _Jump_ was actually Rukia's brother, or even that Aizen was one of Ichigo's family friends? It was a small world.

All this time he spent looking for someone like Ichigo, and he never even realized that Ichigo was this close.

As if he was reading his mind, Ichigo reached his hand under the table and squeezed his lover's hand. He smiled and spoke quietly, "See? It's not so bad, is it?"

Seeing how pleased the other man looked, Grimmjow couldn't help but return the smile. "No, I guess not. But I _am_ still looking forward to celebrating _alone_ later."

Ichigo blushed as the blue-haired man's smile turned from loving to predatory. He was suddenly grateful that he was sitting next to Grimmjow at the end of the table, far far away from anyone else who could hear his conversation. It was bad enough that their friends had that shit-eating grin whenever they saw the two of them together; let's not add any fuel to the fire.

"I swear to God," he muttered under his breath, "Ever since you got serialized for _The Mala Suerte Chronicles_, your mind has gotten a lot dirtier."

"What can I say?" Grimmjow laughed. "It's because you're still my inspiration."

"I can't even decide if I'm happy about that or not, considering how R-rated that story is," Ichigo mumbled. He took a deep breath and willed his blush to recede. "Speaking of which, are you ever going to tell them," he gestured with his eyes at the rest of the table, "that you're the creator behind that story?"

Grimmjow thought about it. _The Mala Suerte Chronicles_ was only serialized a year ago but it was doing quite well, especially considering it was a yaoi. Its popularity stemmed from the brashness of its characters and the no-nonsense, no-fluff tone that the story was told in. It was a romance story written without the ridiculous sap that most love stories were so enamored with. He had published the series under the pen name, "Pantera," and hadn't planned on letting the world know that Pantera, Kite Tubo, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez were the same person.

Though, on the other hand, his friends _had_ proven that they could keep his secret. Besides, the last time Grimmjow let a secret spill, things turned out pretty good for him.

He had his friends, his family, _Peroxide, The Mala Suerte Chronicles_, and, best of all, he had the love he had always been looking for. Grimmjow didn't think he could ask for much more than that.

He looked over to his lover and saw that Ichigo was still waiting for his answer.

Grimmjow smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on the orange-haired man's lips.

"I think I'm pretty happy with the way things are now."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Oh, sweet mother, it is DONE. I remember when I thought this was going to be a one-shot. You see what you people do to me? Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, and thanks for sticking with this story 'til the end!

And has anyone noticed that all the restaurants were named after Naruto characters? And the creepy waiter and the sleazy guy hitting on Ichigo were also Naruto characters! :D ...Is that betrayal?

Now that this story is over, I can finally tell you all what those character names meant!

**Grimshaw Jaguarjacks**: (Grimmjow's character) his release form is a panther, which is really just a darkly colored jaguar, and his last name can be spelled as_ Jaggerjacks_ as well as _Jaegerjaquez._ And the name _Grimmjow_ came from Nicolas Grimshaw, a German architect. (Other Espadas were also named after architects.)

**Hogo Haisaki**: (Ichigo's character)_ Hogo_ means _protector_. _Haisaki_ is a play on Ichigo's last name, Kurosaki. The _k__uro_ in Kurosaki means black. The _hai_ in Haisaki means gray.

**Kite Tubo**: (creater of "Peroxide") just Tite Kubo with the intitals reversed. And "Peroxide" because, well "Bleach".

**Nerutu**: (Nel's character) how the Japanese pronounce_ Nel tu_.

**Cuchara**: (Nnoitra's character) Spanish for spoon. And spoon because, well, you know.

**Awaremi Fuhaiki**: (Rukia's character) No one really knows the reason behind Rukia's name but some think that it's a derivative of the English word _rue, _which explains Rukia's backstory and personality._ Awaremi_ means compassion or pity in Japanese. _Fuhaiki, _just like _Kuchiki, _means "decaying log."

**Ofrenda**: (briefly mentioned once, but it's Halibel's character) _Ofrenda_ is Spanish for "sacrifice", which is the aspect of death that she represents.


End file.
